Table 1.
Comparison of single-use bioreactor systems for stem cell culture. Working volume ranges indicate a change in volume during the culture. Final cell densities presented are the maximum average obtained among different conditions and/or donors: hESC—human embryonic stem cell; hHSPC—human haematopoietic stem/progenitor cell; hiPSC—human induced pluripotent stem cell; hMSC—human mesenchymal stromal cell; hNSC—human neural stem cell; RBC—red blood cell.
| Bioreactor Type | Cell Type | Working Volume/Area | Culture Time (days) | Maximum Final Cell Density | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stirred tank | hiPSCs | 125 mL | 7 | (2.9 ± 0.3) × 10 6 cells∙mL–1 | [29] |
| 1.0-1.5 L | 7 | (1.99 ± 0.09) × 10 6 cells∙mL–1 | [30] | ||
| hMSCs | 15 mL | 8 | 8.1 × 10 5 cells∙mL–1 | [31] | |
| 100–200 mL | 10 | 1.8 × 10 5 cells∙mL–1 | [32] | ||
| 1.0–2.0 L | 7 | 4.1 × 10 5 cells∙mL–1 | [33] | ||
| 2.0 L | 7 | (2.7 ± 0.2) × 10 5 cells∙mL–1 | [34] | ||
| 1.0–2.4 L | 14 | ~ 1 × 10 5 cells∙mL–1 | [35] | ||
| 35 L | 7 | 3.1 × 10 5 cells∙mL–1 | [34] | ||
| 50 L | 11 | 2.6 × 10 5 cells∙mL–1 | [36] | ||
| hHSPCs | 10 mL | 10 | 1.4 × 10 7 cells∙mL–1 | [37] | |
| Fixed bed | hMSCs | 3 mL | 20.8 | N/A (1) | [38] |
| 14.2 mL | 5.6 | (2.9 ± 0.1) × 10 6 cells∙mL–1 | [39] | ||
| 60 mL | 7.0 | 1.75 × 10 6 cells∙mL–1 | [39] | ||
| 300 mL | 6.9 | 2.05 × 10 6 cells∙mL–1 | [39] | ||
| 500 mL | 7 | (8.3 ± 1.6) × 10 5 cells∙mL–1 | [40] | ||
| Hollow fibre | hESCs | 2.1 m2 | 5 | 3.4 × 10 4 cells∙cm–2 | [41] |
| hiPSCs | 2.1 m2 | 6–7 | (3.3 ± 0.4) × 10 4 cells∙cm–2 | [42] | |
| hNSCs | 2.1 m2 | 7–11 | 1.5 × 10 5 cells∙cm–2 | [43] | |
| hMSCs | 2.1 m2 | 7–9 | N/A (2) | [44] | |
| 2.1 m2 | 17 ± 6 | (4.7 ± 0.6) × 10 3 cells∙cm–2 | [45] | ||
| 2.1 m2 | 8 ± 2 | (8.0 ± 2.5) × 10 3 cells∙cm–2 | [46] | ||
| 2.1 m2 | 5 | (9.8 ± 1.0) × 10 3 cells∙cm–2 | [47] | ||
| 2.1 m2 | 5 | (1.1 ± 0.2) × 10 4 cells∙cm–2 | [48] | ||
| 2.1 m2 | 7.9–9.9 | (1.8 ± 0.2) × 10 4 cells∙cm–2 | [49] | ||
| 2.1 m2 | 6 | (1.9 ± 0.3) × 10 4 cells∙cm–2 | [50] | ||
| 2.1 m2 | 6 | 2.9 × 10 4 cells∙cm–2 | [51] | ||
| 2.1 m2 | 6–13 | 4.7 × 10 4 cells∙cm–2 | [52] | ||
| Rotary cell culture system | hNSCs | 4 mL | 3 | ~ 5 × 10 5 cells∙mL–1 | [53] |
| hMSCs | 10 mL | 14 | N/A (1) | [54] | |
| Rotating bed | hMSCs | 2000 cm2 | 5 | (1.2 ± 0.1) × 10 4 cells∙cm–2 | [55] |
| 6000 cm2 | 9 | (5.8 ± 0.9) × 10 4 cells∙cm–2 | [56] | ||
| Rocking motion | hESCs | 150 mL (3) | 4 | 2.8 × 10 6 cells∙mL–1 | [57] |
| 400 mL (3) | 4 | 1.4 × 10 6 cells∙mL–1 | [57] | ||
| 1.0 L (3) | 4 | 1.3 × 10 6 cells∙mL–1 | [57] | ||
| hMSCs | 50–200 mL | 100 | (1.32 ± 0.09) × 10 6 cells∙mL–1 | [58] | |
| 50–600 mL | 10 | 4.4 × 10 4 cells∙mL–1 | [59] | ||
| 50–600 mL | 11 | 2.2 × 10 5 cells∙mL–1 | [60] | ||
| hHSPC-RBCs | 200 mL–1 L | 33 | 4.5 × 10 12 cells∙mL–1 | [61] | |
| Vertical-Wheel | hiPSCs | 60 mL | 80 | N/A (1) | [62] |
| 60 mL | 7 | (2.3 ± 0.2) × 10 6 cells∙mL–1 | [63] | ||
| 60–73 mL | 7 | (1.79 ± 0.03) × 10 6 cells∙mL–1 | [63] | ||
| 80 mL | 9 | (1.21 ± 0.02) × 10 6 cells∙mL–1 | [64] | ||
| 300 mL | 8 | (8.6 ± 1.5) × 10 5 cells∙mL–1 | [64] | ||
| 100 mL | 6 | (6.3 ± 0.4) × 10 5 cells∙mL–1 | [65] | ||
| 100 mL | 6 | (6.5 ± 0.6) × 10 5 cells∙mL–1 | [66] | ||
| 500 mL | 6 | ~4 × 10 5 cells∙mL–1 | [66] | ||
| hMSCs | 60 mL | 4 | 1.1 × 10 5 cells∙mL–1 | [67] | |
| 60–100 mL | 7 | (5.3 ± 0.4) × 10 5 cells∙mL–1 | [68] | ||
| 60–100 mL | 7–11 | 5.3 × 10 5 cells∙mL–1 | [69] | ||
| 90–92 mL | 5 | ~ 6 × 10 5 cells∙mL–1 | [70] | ||
| 2.2 L | 14 | ~ 3 × 10 5 cells∙mL–1 | [71] |
(1) Non-proliferative and/or differentiating cells. (2) The exact cell density achieved is not stated by the authors but is inferred from the text to be around 105 cells∙cm–2. (3) Part of a consecutive passage experiment with increasing scale; overall fold increase of ~280 over 16 days. Individual experiments at each scale with optimised conditions led to better results, but the exact cell density is not indicated in the article.