Cultivation of BHK-21 cells in adapted serum-free suspension media

Mammalian cells are the most frequently used hosts for the manufacture of biopharmaceutical proteins and the production of viral vaccines. Quality is a key element in establishing an efficient bioconversion process. In this study we used the BHK- 21C13 (Baby Hamster Kidney) cell line adapted for suspension cultivation. The use of Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS) is traditionally used and is considered a universal supplement as it allows growth in various mammalian cell lines; however the use of FBS presents a risk of prion infection batch-to-batch variability and an increase in the cost of downstream processing. The aim of this study was to compare the cultivation of BHK-21 C13 cells between two media supplemented with SFB and without SFB through kinetic studies for static and agitated suspension cultivation using a T-flask spinner flask and bioreactor respectively.