Technology of Mass Cultivation: An Overview

Abstract

It is inevitable that in the development of a relatively new area of expertise many of the basic concepts are yet in a state of some flux. We are not clear about the units with which to define the performance of our systems: or if we think that we know which units to use there is still difficulty in relating figures couched in such terms to the problems that the recipient of the information is grappling with. Again as a relative newcommer to the biotechnology scene the proponents of the activity have to contend with the many myths promulgated in the early days when is was never clear why some experiments worked while others did not. As a result, we have, in the field of animal cell biotechnology, a rich and diverse array of alternative ways of tackling particular problems. This in itself is both blessing and curse. On the one hand we can be very selective as to which system we use to achieve a given end result; on the other hand we can be easily bewildered by the wide choice available and put off decisions until it has become more evident which system offers the prospects of productivity at the highest efficiency. More recently yet, it has become increasingly evident that the animal cell in culture has become the system of choice for the expression of exogenous genes. For these reasons there has been a burgeoning of the activity in this area as is obvious from the number of conferences, books and articles dedicated to the use of animal cells for the generation of commercially interesting materials.