The overall objective of this program is to develop cost effective technology for the scale-up of mammalian cell culture for the manufacture of products such as monoclonal antibodies or gentically engineered proteins. The approach involves growth of cells in the interstices of a porous matrix, providing mechanical protection for the cells as well as a means to retain and concentrate them so that higher cell densities can be reached. The advantages of this approach include compatibility with existing culture hardware and procedures, ease of scale-up, higher cell density, simplified control, and new opportunities to optimize the metabolism of the cells to maximize product yield. The specific commercial objective of Phase I research is to develop a suitable matrix material and demonstrate its potential utility for cell culture of anchorage-independent cells. Phase I research will study matrix-cell interactions with laboratory scale methodology using low matrix concentrations in the culture, which will allow the matrix-cell interactions to be studied in the absence of limitations of oxygenation or exhaustion of medium. Phase II research will extend these results to the commercially relevant situations of high culture densities and continuous cultivation.
