A Novel Bioreactor Engineered With Mass Transport and Storage as Key Design Specifications

Successfully developing tissue and organ equivalents requires one to balance device design strategies with the complexities of supporting cells able to accomplish targeted functions. For these equivalents to attain the goal of wide spread clinical use with off-the-shelf availability, it is also critical that methods for storing these systems are considered during in the design phase. This study presents a liver equivalent system — a radial flow bioreactor (RFB) — designed with each of these goals in mind. Its unique features include its capacity for cell support and the design of its cellular space. Specifically it is able to accommodate functional and reasonably sized tissue (more than 2×10⁸ cells). The RFB’s effectiveness in supporting functioning liver cells; the consequences of the system’s flow on O₂ transport; and the results of cryopreserving its tissue equivalents at sub-zero temperatures, are all presented.