(265c) Non-Invasive Cell Density Measurement of Mammalian Cell Cultures in Early Stage Seed Trains

Mammalian cell culture processes rely on cell density to trigger process actions such as inoculum transfers. Currently, to determine cell density in the early stages of a cell culture seed train, shake flasks are opened, samples are removed, and the samples are tested on an automated cell density counting device. There are risks associated with frequent sampling and measuring cell density in shake flasks. These risks include potential contaminations from user operation and potential impact on cells as they are removed from the incubator. Multiple samples also reduce culture volume, which puts inoculation requirements for the next step at risk. A non-invasive cell density measurement for mammalian culture will greatly reduce risks of frequent sampling a culture. A handheld non-invasive biomass scanner, which was initially developed to obtain cell density for microbial cultures, was evaluated for its effectiveness in cell culture. In this study, the microbial biomass scanner was used to measure the total cell density in shake flask cultures of NS0 and CHO cell lines. The unit’s effectiveness, ease of use, and accuracy will be presented and discussed.