Bioreactor systems and controlled operation of bioreactor systems are disclosed herein. The bioreactor systems can include at least one bioreactor chamber, at least one reservoir, a plurality of sensors, and a fluid circuit. The operational methods disclosed herein are directed towards growing cells or tissue while measuring various parameters, and a controlled operation of the various parameters during the operation of the bioreactor systems. The controlled operation of the parameters includes, for example, cell concentration; a rate of flow; a volume; a pH; a temperature; a level of oxygen; a level of carbon dioxide; a level of bicarbonate ion; nutrient compound; and any combination thereof.

Methods of treating cells are disclosed. The methods include introducing a media comprising at least about 1×10.sup.6 cells/mL into a perfusion chamber having a volume of 50 mL or less, introducing a volume effective to treat the cells of at least one additive selected from cell culture media, a transducing agent, a pH control agent, and a cell activator into the perfusion chamber, and withdrawing cell waste and byproducts from the perfusion chamber, and harvesting the treated cells. The methods may include introducing the media comprising at least about 3×10.sup.6 cells/mL into the perfusion chamber. The methods may include measuring and/or controlling at least one parameter of the cells or the media selected from pH, optical density, dissolved oxygen concentration, temperature, and light scattering.

Autotrophic algal growth in high incident light situations may be conducted in a reactor with circulation of algal reaction medium between light and dark zones with very short residence time in the light zone to maintain algal growth in the reactor in a linear growth regime in which the rate of algal biomass production is proportional to the incident photosynthetic photon flux density. Process monitoring and control may permit quick processing in a single step even in open pond systems. Dissolved nitrogen levels in product may be monitored and nitrogen nutrient input may be restricted to reduce dissolved nitrogen in effluent and to increase lipid yield without a separate nitrogen starvation step.

A detector arrangement for a blood culture bottle incorporating a colorimetric sensor which is subject to change of color due to change in pH or CO.sub.2 of a sample medium within the blood culture bottle. The detector arrangement includes a sensor LED illuminating the colorimetric sensor, a reference LED illuminating the colorimetric sensor, a control circuit for selectively and alternately activating the sensor LED and the reference LED, and a photodetector. The photodetector measures reflectance from the colorimetric sensor during the selective and alternating illumination of the colorimetric sensor with the sensor LED and the reference LED and generates intensity signals. The reference LED is selected to have a peak wavelength of illumination such that the intensity signals of the photodetector from illumination by the reference LED are not substantially affected by changes in the color of the colorimetric sensor.

A system for oxygenating a biological culture includes a container bounding a compartment and having a top wall, a bottom wall, and an encircling sidewall extending therebetween; a tubular member projecting into the compartment of the container and terminating at a terminal end; a gas supply coupled with the tubular member and being configured to blow gas through the tubular member; and a mixing element disposed within compartment of the container at a location between the terminal end of the tubular member and the bottom wall of the container, the mixing element being configured to mix the liquid.

High throughput cultivation systems are used in pharmaceutical research and development. In this connection, samples are taken and analyzed for important parameters using external analysis. The results of the analysis serve to assess the cultivation process and provide important information about the process. Especially with cultivations carried out in parallel, the manual effort of sample preparation is great and can lead to errors. In order to avoid the need for sampling and thus to minimize the errors, a method is described in the present patent application which makes desired target parameters accessible in the form of soft sensors by means of previously recorded process variables. Herein is described a method for determining process-relevant parameters in CHO processes (Chinese hamster ovary) in high-throughput cultivations, in particular glucose, lactate and the live cell density or the live cell volume.

The present disclosure relates to use of systems for culturing, incubating, and/or expanding adherent cells.

An inclined reactor of bottom gas-inlet type for aerobic fermentation and a method for aerobic fermentation are provided, a fermenter is provided with a circular inner tank, end covers and a jacket; an airtight fermentation space is formed in the fermenter by the inner tank, an upper end cover and a lower end cover; a feed opening and an exhaust outlet are arranged at an upper part of the fermenter, and a discharge opening is arranged at a lower part of the lower end cover of the fermenter; a length of the fermenter is greater than or equal to a diameter of the fermenter, the fermenter is fixed on a base having a height difference and is hence in an inclined state; an energy-saving stirrer is mounted in the fermenter, and the energy-saving stirrer is formed by connecting several groups of tangential plates or a spiral combination of tangential plates, a radial rod, a stirring rod and a stirring shaft; several groups of air chambers are arranged at an external wall at the bottom of the inner tank of the fermenter, the air chambers are arranged inside the jacket, several aeration nozzles are defined on an inner side of each air chamber, and the aeration nozzles are close to the inner tank.

Provided is a method for facilitating an aerobic fermentation reaction using combustion waste gas, wherein organic waste in a reactor is heated using waste gas with heat produced from fuel combustion to facilitate the fermentation reaction, some of the chemical substances in the waste gas with heat produced from fuel combustion are absorbed by the organic waste in the reactor, and an environmental friendly treatment is performed on the waste gas with heat produced from fuel combustion. The specific practices comprise: connecting a gas outlet of a combustion device to a conveying pipe, and then connecting the conveying pipe to a gas inlet of the reactor or an air chamber aeration nozzle at a lower part of the reactor. Not only the equipment and cost for combustion waste gas treatments are saved, but also the aerobic fermentation efficiency of the organic waste is improved, which reduces the fermentation time. Not only the combustion waste gas is treated for environmental protection, but also the environmental friendly treatments of organic refuse waste are facilitated; and thus the method is an energy saving and environmental friendly technique.

A system and a method for producing biomass from a mixed community of algal species. The method comprises the steps of culturing the mixed community of at least two algal species as biofilms on transparent surfaces having structural features and an optical filter, providing a continuous supply of a culture medium comprising at least 0.5 mol/L aqueous (bi)carbonate and having a pH greater than 9. The method disclosed herein facilitates online monitoring of mixed community productivity by the quantification of oxygen production.