The University of Waterloo

Jeno M Scharer

Murray Moo-Young

Sandra E Overgaard

Niels C Bols

Biologically-active material, particularly hybridoma cells, is immobilized for mass culture in bioreactors to produce biological products, particularly monoclonal antibodies, by ionically-interacting polycationic groups on chitosan with polyanionic groups on a polyanionic water-soluble polymer. Preferably, the chitosan is chitosan acetate and the polyanionic polymer is sodium alginate. In one embodiment, droplets of a suspension of the biologically-active material and water-soluble polymer are gelled by forming a calcium salt of the water-soluble polymer to form temporary capsules, and a sequestering agent for the calcium ions is added to effect ionotropic gelation of the water-soluble polymer and chitosan to form a semi-permeable membrane around each temporary capsule. In another embodiment, porous beads are formed by exposing droplets of a suspension of the biologically active material and water-soluble polymer to an aqueous solution of chitosan and multiple cations. In a further embodiment, chitosan is added to a suspension of the biologically active material and water-soluble polymer and the resulting suspension is extruded into a solution of multi-valent anions to form a fibrous mass.

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Waterloo, Canada

Jeno M Scharer