title: A versatile modular bioreactor platform for Tissue Engineering.
abstract: Tissue Engineering (TE) bears potential to overcome the persistent shortage of donor organs in transplantation medicine. Additionally, TE products are applied as human test systems in pharmaceutical research to close the gap between animal testing and the administration of drugs to human subjects in clinical trials. However, generating a tissue requires complex culture conditions provided by bioreactors. Currently, the translation of TE technologies into clinical and industrial applications is limited due to a wide range of different tissue-specific, non-disposable bioreactor systems. To ensure a high level of standardization, a suitable cost-effectiveness, and a safe graft production, a generic modular bioreactor platform was developed. Functional modules provide robust control of culture processes, e.g. medium transport, gas exchange, heating, or trapping of floating air bubbles. Characterization revealed improved performance of the modules in comparison to traditional cell culture equipment such as incubators, or peristaltic pumps. By combining the modules, a broad range of culture conditions can be achieved. The novel bioreactor platform allows using disposable components and facilitates tissue culture in closed fluidic systems. By sustaining native carotid arteries, engineering a blood vessel, and generating intestinal tissue models according to a previously published protocol the feasibility and performance of the bioreactor platform was demonstrated.
authors: University Hospital Wuerzburg, Department Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine (TERM), Wuerzburg, Germany.
authors: Sebastian
authors: S
authors: Schuerlein
authors: Translational Center Wuerzburg of the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology (IGB), Wuerzburg, Germany.
authors: Thomas
authors: T
authors: Schwarz
authors: Translational Center Wuerzburg of the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology (IGB), Wuerzburg, Germany.
authors: Steffan
authors: S
authors: Krziminski
authors: University Hospital Wuerzburg, Department Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine (TERM), Wuerzburg, Germany.
authors: Sabine
authors: S
authors: Gätzner
authors: University Hospital Wuerzburg, Department Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine (TERM), Wuerzburg, Germany.
authors: Anke
authors: A
authors: Hoppensack
authors: University Hospital Wuerzburg, Department Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine (TERM), Wuerzburg, Germany.
authors: Ivo
authors: I
authors: Schwedhelm
authors: University Hospital Wuerzburg, Department Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine (TERM), Wuerzburg, Germany.
authors: Matthias
authors: M
authors: Schweinlin
authors: University Hospital Wuerzburg, Department Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine (TERM), Wuerzburg, Germany.|Translational Center Wuerzburg of the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology (IGB), Wuerzburg, Germany.
authors: Heike
authors: H
authors: Walles
authors: University Hospital Wuerzburg, Department Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine (TERM), Wuerzburg, Germany.|Translational Center Wuerzburg of the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology (IGB), Wuerzburg, Germany.
authors: Jan
authors: J
authors: Hansmann
mesh_terms: D019149:Bioreactors; D044968:Regenerative Medicine / Q000379:methods; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*
keywords: Clinical application; Industrial application; Modular bioreactor platform; Regenerative Medicine; Tissue Engineering