Development of pulsatile perfusion bioreactor

• Main Author: Liu, Chung Yu.
• Other Authors: Leong Kah Fai
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2009
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Bioengineering
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/15729
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

A pulsatile perfusion bioreactor system was designed and developed for the application of scaffold-based tissue engineering. It was constructed with the intention of perfusing the culture medium through the pores of the scaffold in fixed time intervals, and forming a closed-loop circuit. In this project, a flow culture system consisting of the bioreactor and a flow circuit, was designed and constructed for the investigation of its effects on tissue formation. The flow in the bioreactor was designed to be in a bottom-up manner so as to expel air pockets at the top of the cell chamber. The use of a peristaltic pump and standard connectors in the flow circuit ensured that an accurate, steady, consistent and repeatable flow was provided and maintained. In this way, the medium would be able to flow through the scaffolds continuously and provide mechanical stimuli such as pressure which could be beneficial for tissue formation. Trial experiments were carried out to ensure even flow distribution and troubleshoot any other problems before the start of the final experiment. A retainer and slot cover were designed to fix the scaffold in the cell chamber during the experiment. The implemented measures proved to be effective in eliminating the air bubbles, uneven flow distribution, ensuring a steady process in cell culture experiments. The constructed bioreactor is capable of cultivating cell seeded scaffolds under pulsatile flow conditions, accomplishing the objective of the project.