POLYMERIC MEMBRANE APPLICATIONS TO IMPROVE CELL CULTURE

CAPS OF CELL CULTURE FLASKS USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH BICARBONATE BUFFER SYSTEMS MUST BE LEFT PARTIALLY OPEN TO ALLOW FOR CARBON DIOXIDE EXCHANGE. THE PRESENCE OF AIRBORNECONTAMINANTS OR LEAKAGE OF MEDIA INTO THE THREADS OF THE CAPTHREATENS TO CONTAMINATE THE CULTURE. CONVERSELY, TIGHTENING THE CAP TOO MUCH LEADS TO THE LOSS OF SOME CULTURES BECAUSE OF IMPROPER GAS EXCHANGE. CELLGRO RESEARCH (CGR) PLANS TO DEVELOP A MEMBRANE THAT WILLALLOW ADEQUATE GAS EXCHANGE YET BLOCK THE PASSAGE OF MICROORGANISMS. THIS MEMBRANE WILL BE A NONPOROUS POLYMER PERMEABLE TO SMALL-MOLECULAR-WEIGHT GASES BUT IMPERMEABLE TO ANY SIZE BACTERIA OR VIRUS. CGR WILL INCORPORATE THIS MEMBRANE INTO THE CAPS OF CELL CULTURE FLASKS. TIGHTENING THESE MEMBRANE CAPS ON THE FLASKS WILL SOLVE CONTAMINATION AND GAS MAINTENANCE PROBLEMS. USING THESE MEMBRANES MAY ALSO ABOLISH THE NEED TO ADD ANTIBIOTICS TO CULTURE MEDIA. AS A RESULT, CELLS TO BE USED FOR HUMAN THERAPY MAY BE GROWNIN AN ANTIBIOTIC-FREE MEDIA, OVERCOMING THE PROBLEM OF POTENTIAL PATIENT REACTION TO THOSE ANTIBIOTICS.