[Chemo- and radiosensitivity testing of tumor tissue cultured in vitro. Development of a fiber culture system for cell harvesting].

Chemo- and radiosensitivity-testing of tumour cells should be performed in vitro under in vivo-like conditions. One problem is to grow cells to tissue-like cell densities in vitro. A hollow fiber reactor was prepared for cell growth to high densities. In order to obtain cells during and after sensitivity testing for quantitating cell damage, a harvesting fiber system was developed which can be inserted in the nutritional hollow fiber system. These hollow fibers have a diameter of 300 microns and a wall thickness of 10 microns. Small holes between 10 and 100 microns can be cut into the fibers for cell harvesting by electric sparks. Up to 60 holes per mm fiber length can be produced.