The invention features modular chambers for culturing cells in which the volume of a chamber can be adjusted without compromising the seal or
sterility of the chamber. The invention is based on the principle that the volume of a chamber formed between two plates sandwiching a compressible
gasket and a substantially incompressible stop can be adjusted using a
gasket that forms a fluid-tight seal between the plates at a plurality of levels of compression. The invention enables the culture of cells between substantially parallel and rigid plates in which a relatively large volume can be used to seed the cells and the holdup volume reduced for
perfusion without opening or otherwise disassembling the
system to compromise its liquidtightness and
sterility. The new closed, modular and scalable
cell-culturing chamber can be thus perfused and used to culture cells (e.g., hepatocytes) with high levels of
cell function in organ (e.g., liver) assist systems, for production of cells, for production of
cell-derived products, such as proteins or viruses, or for systems to treat biological liquids to remove toxins, such as
ammonia, add cell-synthesized products, or both.