Unilever Patent Holdings B.v.

Rober C Hammond

Kevin Hammond

Christine Morris

David B Hough

A porous polymeric support for biological cells is prepared having a total pore volume of at least 75% formed by a plurality of voids having an average diameter within a range of from 1 and 150 .mu.m interconnected by holes. The support is prepared by forming an emulsion containing monomers and/or prepolymers in a continuous phase and having an internal phase that forms the voids of the support, and polymerizing the monomers and/or prepolymers in the continuous phase. The emulsion may be a water-in-oil emulsion with the monomers and/or prepolymers in the oil. Biological cells are introduced into at least the voids of the support. Preferably, the voids have an average size 3 to 15 times the cell size and the holes have an average size 1 to 8 times the cell size. A compound may be produced by passing reactants into the voids via the interconnecting holes to contact the cells in the voids to cause the cells to produce the compound.

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Radwell, United Kingdom

Rober C Hammond