Oxygen uptake rate analysis to evaluate the impact of hydrodynamic stress on the growth of the avian cell line DuckCelt®-T17

Abstract

Scale-up of bioprocesses involving animal cell culture is hampered by the sensitivity of the cells to hydrodynamic stress, either from agitation or bubble bursting. Here, the hydrodynamic stress experienced by a recent cell line, the DuckCelt®-T17 avian cells, previously used for viral vaccine production, is investigated in shake flasks and in a 3 L bioreactor. Cell stress was assessed by monitoring the dissolved oxygen in the culture medium, which depends on Oxygen Transfer Rate (OTR) and Oxygen Uptake Rate (OUR) during cultivation. Classical parameters such as the maximum growth rate (µ_max) and metabolite profiles were also determined. A dynamic model able to predict nutrient consumption, metabolic waste production, viable cell number and OUR was also developed and validated from the data measured in shake flasks. The experiments performed in the stirred tank bioreactor (STBR) show that OUR depended on both the cell growth phase and the stirring conditions. The oxygen consumption of the cells during the exponential growth phase (where there were no nutrient and O₂ limitations) was significantly altered at average and maximum shear rates above 70 and 840 s⁻¹, respectively, indicating highly shear-sensitive cells. OUR is a suitable tool to identify the hydrodynamic conditions for robust cell growth. The scale-up criteria to be favored for the DuckCelt®-T17 cell culture in STBRs would be the shear and/or the tip’s speed.