(58c) Implementation of Online Amino Acid Analysis for Medium and Feed Optimization in Mammalian Cell Culture

Amino acid analysis is commonly used to study the nutrient requirements of mammalian cell cultures and to develop improved cell culture media and feeds for the production of biopharmaceuticals. This analysis is typically performed in an off-line, iterative manner where samples are investigated after the experiment is over. To provide a real-time assessment of the nutritional requirements and metabolic behavior of cell lines in culture, we have recently integrated an online HPLC system into our standard bioreactor setup. As well as implementing a simpler assay which does not require amino acid derivatization, this system allows the implementation of feedback control to maintain the desired concentrations of culture nutrients. Our initial experiments and system improvements will be discussed.