(241e) Study of Cell Proliferation in Porous Scaffold in a Taylor-Couette Bioreactor

Taylor vortices can be formed by subjecting a viscous liquid to shear stresses in an annular space between two rotating cylinders and a stationary bottom surface. In recent years, Taylor vortex flow is employed in many practical applications such as reaction, filtration and extraction. In this study, Taylor vortex flow is applied in a bioreactor to culture cells that are seeded in a degradable porous scaffold, taking its advantages of low shear stress, high mass transfer rate and easy implementation for scaling up. The biodegradable porous scaffold is fabricated from solvent-free supercritical gas foaming technique. The cell distribution in the scaffold is investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Confocal microscope. In contrast, the cell number in the scaffold is measured by PicoGreen dsDNA assay kit to analyze the cell seeding efficiency into the scaffold and proliferation rate inside the bioreactor. The cell proliferation rate is compared with the conventional bioreactor, and the optimal operation conditions are explored.