High density culture of anchorage-dependent animal cells by polyurethane foam packed-bed culture systems.

Monkey kidney cells (Vero) and Chinese hamster ovary cells (CHO-K1) attached to the internal surface of polyurethane foam (PUF) and grew to a high cell density (1.1 x 10(8) cells/cm3 PUF and 4.2 x 10(7) cells/cm3 PUF, respectively) in a PUF-plates packed-bed culture system. This density of Vero cells was twice that obtained previously with a PUF-particles packed-bed culture system. A maximum cell density of 6.7 x 10(7) cells/cm3 culture vessel volume was obtained in a PUF-disc packed-bed culture of Vero cells. From the cell density of CHO-K1, growing in a monolayer on the surface of PUF and a petri dish, per bulk volume of PUF, we estimated that a surface area to volume ratio of PUF plates effective for cell growth was about 109 cm2/cm3.