Rotary Bioreactor for Recombinant Protein Production

Abstract

The Rotary Cell Culture System (RCCS) developed at NASA has been used primarily for tissue engineering applications. Because it creates a low shear, high mass transport environment simulating microgravity, we tested the ability of the RCCS to enhance the production of recombinant proteins compared to a stirred bioreactor. A human cell line was transfected with LacZ or glycodelin and cultured in the RCCS and a spinner flask. The RCCS culture produced a 7- fold greater yield of beta galactosidase and 3-fold greater yield of glycodelin than the spinner flask suggesting that the low shear conditions in the RCCS promoted increased protein production.