The RCCS is available in a variety of formats and sizes. For example, we offer both batch-fed and perfusion systems, with reusable and disposable culture vessels. The batch culture systems can be configured with single, dual or 4 vessel rotators. Vessel sizes range from 1 ml to 3 liters. To meet your individual needs, we recommend that you talk to one of our technical specialists.

Yes, all RCCS bioreactors are designed to be used in a standard, humidified CO2 incubator. The bioreactor vessels utilize silicone membranes to achieve gas exchange between the incubator environment and the culture media. Humidification is necessary to prevent excessive evaporation of media through the membrane which can cause bubbles to form in the culture vessel compartment.

The microcarriers and suspended cells can be introduced into the bioreactor vessel at the same time. The cells will attach to the microcarriers as they are suspended in the low-shear simulated microgravity environment created in the RCCS.

No. Roller bottles grow cells on the wall of the bottle in 2-dimensional culture. The RCCS grows cells in suspension, either as 3D spheroids or on scaffolds.

The RCCS was originally designed at NASA to culture cells in simulated microgravity. During ground experiments using this reactor, it was observed that suspended cells tended to form 3D aggregates that resembled tissues. Since then, the RCCS has been used in basic biology research where 3D tissue culture provides better models for in vivo cell behavior. The RCCS is also finding widespread use in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications. For a detailed account of the various applications of the RCCS bioreactor, click here.

One of the main advantages of the RCCS is the minimization of mechanical stress on cells. The presence of even a few bubbles will increase turbulence and thus mechanical stress. In order to minimize bubbles, the RCCS should be completely filled with media with no headspace as indicated in the user manuals. The silicone membrane in the RCCS vessels allows for efficient gas transfer from the incubator to the cell culture media without bubbles. However, if sufficient humidification is not maintained, water can evaporate through the membrane and cause bubble formation. Small bubbles may appear over time due to cellular respiration and these should be removed as necessary. See the user manuals for detailed instructions on removing bubbles.

The ideal rotational speed for RCCS culture vessels will vary for different studies.  In general, determining the ideal rotation speed depends on the diameter of the cell aggregate.  As the vessel rotates, the cell aggregates accelerate until they reach a sedimentation velocity, which is determined by the size the cell aggregate.  According to the Stokes equation, the sedimentation velocity is proportional to the square of the radius of the cell aggregate.  Therefore, as the aggregates grow in size, they sediment more rapidly.  It is thus necessary to increase the vessel's rotation speed to prevent the cell aggregates from colliding with the vessel wall.

As mentioned in the previous question, the bioreactor is housed in an incubator during operation. The gas in the incubator diffuses into the culture through the silicone membrane according to the gas concentration of the culture.  Therefore, as with the temperature, the gas concentration settings of the incubator determine the gas concentration within the culture vessel.  Additionally, larger vessel systems, such as the RCCS-1 and the RCCS-4H, incorporate air pumps that push gas from the incubator to increase gas exposure to the silicone membrane, and ultimately facilite gas exchange across the membrane. Since the gas transfer occurs via diffusion across the membrane, it does not introduce bubbles into the culture vessel.

The RCCS bioreactors must be housed in an incubator during operation.  The temperature within the bioreactor is controlled by the ambient temperature within the incubator.  Consequently, if 37° C is the desired tempearture for the contents of the bioreactor, the incubator's temperature must be set to 37° C.

No, the cells and cell aggregates continuously fall through the media as the cell culture vessel rotates.  The continuous motion of cells in media the facilitates their exposure to nutrients.

Currently, the most common method for three dimensional cell culture is to seed cells into synthetic scaffolds within multi-well plates.  While this model has produced some promising results for 3D cell aggregates and tissues, it has the limitation of restricted mass transfer within the media and tissue contructs.   In contrast to cells' in vivo environment, which provides a steady flow of nutrients from surrounding networks of blood vessels, the static nature of the two dimensional cell culture plates hinders effective distribution of nutrients to the cells.Dynamic culture systems such as spinner flasks and larger scale stirred tanks improve the mass transfer of nutrients.  However, the mechanical forces produced within these systems not only damage the cells, but prevent their aggregation.Our Rotary Cell Culture System (RCCS) bioreactors provide excellent mass transfer and low mechanical stress conditions that encourage the formation of 3D cell cultures.  Several published studies using RCCS bioreactors demonstrate the efficacy of our bioreactor systems for 3D cell culture (see our Bibliography to view the list of these publications).  Furthermore, scaffolds can be incorporated with our systems to obtain the desired conditions of 3D scaffolds.

Two dimensional cell culture has greatly contributed to our understanding of cell function and interaction; however, 2D culture provides limited information about cells' in vivo characteristics.  A key purpose of cell culture is to mimic the in vivo conditions within living organisms and consequently to facilite scientific investigation of tissues.  With the same purpose, 3D culture systems better model the 3D biology found in vivo.