THE INFLUENCE OF DISSOLVED-OXYGEN TENSION ON THE METABOLIC-ACTIVITY OF AN IMMOBILIZED HYBRIDOMA POPULATION

In the study presented here a laboratory scale (150 ml) fluidized bed bioreactor was used as a tool for making kinetic measurements on the p roduction of monoclonal antibodies (MAb) with a hybridoma cell line. W e determined the influence of dissolved oxygen tension (DOT) on the me tabolic activity of a hybridoma population immobilized in macroporous collagen microspheres. The data obtained showed a reduction of the met abolic activity of the immobilized population at reduced DOT, the tota l number of immobilized cells, however, remained constant. At decreasi ng DOT an increasing lactate yield from glucose at reduced glutamine c onsumption was noticed, indicating a shift in the pattern of substrate usage. A mathematical description of maintenance metabolism was formu lated and the parameters of growth and maintenance requirements were c alculated. A growth associated MAb production was determined under the conditions applied leading to space time yields of 225 mg MAb per lit er of total reactor volume and day.