Wave-mixed bioreactors have increasingly replaced stainless steel stirred tank reactors in seed inoculum productions and mammalian cell-based process developments. Pre-sterilized, single-use plastic bags are used for cultivation, eliminating the risk of cross-contamination and cleaning procedures. However, these advantages come with high consumable costs which is the main barrier to more uptakes of the technology by academic institutions. As an academic Core Facility that faces high demand in protein production from insect cells, we have therefore developed a cost-effective alternative to disposable wave bags. In our study we identified: •A re-usable wave shaken polycarbonate bioreactor for protein production in insect cells achieves protein yields comparable to disposable bags.•The advantages of this re-usable bioreactor are low costs, long life cycle, flexible configuration of accessories and convenient handling due to its rigid shape.
Keywords: A re-usable wave bioreactor for protein production in insect cells; Bioreactor; Hi5; Insect cells; Protein production; Sf9; Upscale; Wave bag.