The effect of intracapillary media feed protocols on hollow fiber cell culture

Summary

Two intracapillary (IC) media feed protocols termed “media rich” and “media lean” were examined in an effort to understand the effect of this variable on hollow fiber cell cultures. The “media rich” protocol emphasized a high volume IC media per day (5 liters) containing no serum and a normal amount of extracapillary (EC) media serum (10% v/v). Alternatively, the “media lean” protocol used up to 1.0 liter of IC media per day containing 5% v/v serum and increased EC media serum (20% v/v). Both protocols produced substantial amounts of antibody in 25 days using HFN7.1 hybridoma cells (ATCC CRL 1606), however the “media rich” protocol produced twice as much antibody as the “media lean” protocol. The metabolism of the cells was dramatically different as measured by glucose uptake rate (GUR) with “media lean” cells having a six-fold lower GUR. Our results indicate that the “media rich” protocol is useful for producing larger amounts of antibody in a short time frame. The “media lean” protocol may be considered when the production costs of antibody, particularly media and serum, is the overriding concern.