Search for cell proliferation markers suitable for cell count in continuous immobilized cell bioreactors.

The control of hybridoma cell cultures in bioreactors requires the use of convenient indicators to monitor the proliferation of the biomass. In order to select appropriate indications, we followed the variations of several compounds including tumoral markers, polyamines, sialic acids, purine and pyrimidine bases, enzymes and metabolites such as glucose, lactate and amino acids, and the variations of cell density during batch culture. Significant correlations were found between the number of viable cells and alkaline phosphatase, beta-glucuronidase, glucose and lactate measured in the culture medium of hybridoma strains. The correlation calculated from alkaline phosphatase and beta-glucuronidase concentrations in culture medium underestimated cell number. The correlation established with glucose and lactate gave the best indication of cell proliferation in continuous culture with an immobilized cell bioreactor. Finally, the exact quantification of the biomass in these culture conditions can be obtained using the mean of glucose and lactate correlations.