HEK293F cells grow in suspension culture and need constant shaking for growth that requires a CO2 incubator equipped with shaker. Has anyone tried alternative ways to culture these cells when shaker-equipped CO2 incubators are not available?
Dear Asrar
As you told, the cells to growth well need shaking (for oxygenation) and CO2 (for maintain the pH.
In small scale, the only cheaper alternative to a preassembled CO2 shaker incubator (as eg the Eppendorf s41i) is to insert a cheap orbital shaker on a standard CO2 (non shaking) incubator.
e.g
https://www.infors-ht.com/en/shakers/bench-top-shakers/celltron/
but there are many other cheaper shaking platform available. Check carefully the size.
For larger volumes (eg liter) you can use bioreactors instead shakers, but in general those are most expensive and difficult to handle
good luck
Manuele
Use of polymeric chamber (like nylon bag)equipped with inlet and outlet pipe for gas exchange under shaking in an simple incubator or use of specific bioreactor seems to be potential alternative ways to culture.
Thank you Manuele Martinelli and Asadollah Asadi for your valuable suggestions. Inserting orbital shaker into the incubator is indeed a good alternative. Asadollah Asadi, do you know any commercial polymeric chamber that can be used for this purpose?
For example empty blood bags or similar bags with some simple modifications may be useful for making a Small-Scale Bioreactor. This is my primary personal suggestion and comment in this case and its applicability needs to be examined and evaluated. you can try and develop an instrument for your propose based on this proposed idea.
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