This automated 3D-cell-culture platform enables industrial-scale manufacturing of high-quality tissue cells. The culture conditions can control cell phenotype, gene expression, and stem-cell differentiation. As tissue engineering and 3D bioprinting technologies improve, current cell manufacturing methods will be unable to meet the high-volume requirements for producing functional living cells used to build tissue constructs and eventually organs. Available 2D cell factories greatly increase productivity, but these have limited cell capacity and require human support that prevents production at an industrial scale. Additionally, the adhesion of cells to tissue culture plastic in 2D vessels and 3D bioreactors alters their phenotype and drives stem cell differentiation, which limits cell quality.
Researchers at the University of Florida have developed an automated 3D-cell-culture manufacturing system for large-scale production of high-quality cells. With this system, the biomanufacturing industry can achieve high-volume production of living cells for applications in drug screening, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine.
Automated manufacturing system capable of mass-producing high-quality tissue cells
This cell manufacturing system uses packed microgels as a 3D printing media for designing extracellular matrix (ECM) structures that contain cells. The microgels swell in liquid culture media to form a packed granular gel. Using the 3D growth medium, an automatic cell culture-manufacturing loop can print 3D cellular structures and incubate them in a perfusion bioreactor, as well as process and re-print them to expand cell populations. The porous microgel packs facilitate liquid perfusion for exchanging nutrients and waste, which controls cell viability and metabolism. Additionally, the 3D ECM microenvironment preserves cell phenotype, gene expression profiles, and stem-cell pluripotency, making it easier to produce high-quality cells with desired properties.
