Membrane Oxygenators for Enhancing Bioreactors

The investigators will develop a new class of perfluoropolymers with exceptionally high oxygen fluxmembranes for enhanced bioreactor performance. Propagation of animal cells for biopharmaceuticals iswidespread along with optimization of environmental constraints and procedures to increase bioreactooxygen availability limits bioreactor cell culture production. Sparging is the choice method to aerawith sensitive animal cells sparging can be counterproductive. Entertainment at liquid/gas interfacecells. Microporous hollow fibers to introduce oxygen also causes shear damage to animal cells. Animaattach to microporous fibers and impede gas transfer. The copolymer of perfluoro-dimethyl-dioxole (Ptetrafluoroethylene (TFE) display membrane permeabilities 40 times higher than conventional membranerubber). The PDD-TFE organophobic and hydrophobic surface should discourage cell surface attachmentinvestigators will make both hollow fiber and flat sheet oxygenator modules which will be evaluatedin bioreactors to determine their oxygen transfer rates, non-plugging characteristics and their abilhaving enhanced oxygen uptake rates.