Engineering Commons^™

Analysis Of Aggregate Size As A Process Variable Affecting Paclitaxel Accumulation In Taxus Suspension Cultures, Martin E. Kolewe, Michael A. Henson, Susan C. Roberts

Michael A Henson

Plant cell aggregates have long been implicated in affecting cellular metabolism in suspension culture, yet the rigorous characterization of aggregate size as a process variable and its effect on bioprocess performance has not been demonstrated. Aggregate fractionation and analysis of biomass-associated product is commonly used to assess the effect of aggregation, but we establish that this method is flawed under certain conditions and does not necessarily agree with comprehensive studies of total culture performance. Leveraging recent advances to routinely measure aggregate size distributions, we developed a simple method to manipulate aggregate size and evaluate its effect on the culture as …