Monitoring the internal environment of biochemical reaction vessels is crucial to optimizing the performance of existing bioreactors, and to aiding in the design and evaluation of future bioreactors. This proposal seeks to non-invasively monitor fluid flow and oxygen distribution in hollow fiber and flat cell bioreactors by nuclear magnetic resource (NMR) imaging techniques. Successful completion of this demonstration of principle will provide detailed knowledge of the ultimate usefulness of the device and together with design data, will provide needed information for the development of a prototype NMR imaging system during Phase II.
