Predicting The Performance Of Perfusion Media In A Continuous Bioreactor From Small-Scale Perfusion Mimics

By Luis G. Rodriguez, Martin Santillan, Catherine Nguyen, Ociel Ferreyra, and Chandana Sharma, FUJIFILM Biosciences

Scaling up therapeutic protein production from development to manufacturing remains a challenge, especially when transitioning from fed-batch to continuous perfusion processes. This study explores how small-scale perfusion-mimic models—like spin tubes and Ambr15 micro-bioreactors—can be used to predict the performance of perfusion media in larger bioreactors. By evaluating CHO-GS and DG44 cell lines across multiple media formulations, researchers identified key metrics such as cell-specific productivity (qP), volumetric productivity (VP), and cell-specific perfusion rate (CSPR) to assess media performance. The findings show that perfusion-mimic systems are effective tools for screening media and optimizing conditions for high cell density and yield.

For teams working on media selection or process development, explore how this approach offers a cost-effective and scalable strategy.