Parallel Bioreactor with Integrated Fluid Injection and Gas Switching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current bioreactor systems face challenges in efficiently controlling environmental parameters like pH and dissolved oxygen at small scales, leading to suboptimal conditions for microbial growth and strain selection, particularly in transitioning from microtiter plates and shake flasks to industrial-scale bioprocesses.
Innovation Solution
A parallel integrated bioreactor system with integrated fluid injection and mixing devices, constructed using a simple molding process, enables precise control of pH and dissolved oxygen levels through fluid injection and gas switching, allowing for high cell density growth and scalable experimentation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If bench-scale bioreactors are used to improve control over environmental variables and oxygenation, then the ability to achieve higher cell densities is improved, but the cost and time required to test multiple combinations of strains and environmental conditions increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the bioreactor functionality into multiple parallel micro-reactors (e.g., 96-well plate format), allowing simultaneous experimentation with multiple strain-condition combinations. Each well functions as an independent mini-bioreactor with individual environmental control, enabling high-throughput screening while maintaining controlled conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates scaled-down copies of bench-scale bioreactor functionality in micro-scale platforms. These micro-bioreactors replicate the controlled environment, oxygenation, and monitoring capabilities of larger reactors but at a fraction of the cost and complexity, allowing parallel testing of multiple conditions.
2Productivity
If microtiter plates are used for high-throughput screening, then the number of experiments that can be performed in parallel is improved, but the oxygen transfer capacity and control over environmental parameters deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates pneumatic sparging (gas sparging through porous materials) and hydraulic circulation systems within the micro-bioreactors to dramatically improve oxygen transfer rates. These fluid dynamics-based oxygenation methods enable high cell densities while maintaining the high-throughput parallel experimentation capability.
3Ease of operation
If shake flasks are used for strain screening, then the simplicity and ease of operation is improved, but the ability to achieve high oxygen concentrations and controlled conditions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The micro-bioreactor platform integrates multiple functions into a single system: environmental control (temperature, pH, oxygen), monitoring (optical sensors for cell density, gas exchange), and high-throughput parallel operation. This multi-functional design maintains ease of operation while providing rigorous environmental control comparable to bench-scale reactors.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system provides improved oxygen transfer rates and controlled environmental conditions, enabling the identification of optimal strains and conditions for industrial-scale bioprocesses by allowing multiple experiments to be performed in parallel with reduced costs and increased precision.
Implementation Method 1
The PIB device further comprises a peristaltic oxygenating mixer, which mixes the growth chamber
Implementation Method 2
The dissolved oxygen in the PIB device may be controlled by changing the oxygen concentration in the actuation gas
Implementation Method 3
at least one metered fluid injector to pass metered amounts of fluid from the reservoir into the growth chamber
Implementation Method 4
at least one sensor located within the growth chamber, wherein the sensor measures the pH properties of the growth chamber
Data Source
AI summary
In one embodiment, the present invention introduces integrated fluid injection and mixing devices to enable pH control in a miniature parallel integrated bioreactor array system. In another embodiment, the environmental conditions of the growth chamber is enabled through fluidic injections in a miniature parallel cell culture system. In still another embodiment, the present invention utilizes gas switches to control oxygen concentration within a miniature parallel integrated bioreactor array.