Perfusion Bioreactors

The main advantages of using the perfusion system are ease of use, scalability, and cost. [1] First, perfusion bioreactors are typically smaller in size compared to other forms of bioreactors yet produce the same product yield. For example a 50L perfusion bioreactor can produce the same amount of product as a 1,000L fed-batch bioreactor.⁵ Furthermore, due to the intrinsic nature of creating a system that maintains constant chemical conditions, cells can continuously grow without the need of constantly passaging cells and replacing media - thus it is less labor intensive. The next advantage is scalability. Due to the smaller size of perfusion bioreactors, less labor intensive, and ease of operation, perfusion systems can be scaled by adding more reactors to the system. This does not drastically require more man power or occupies more space. Lastly, since a 50L perfusion bioreactor can produce the same amount of product as a 1000L fed-batch bioreactor, it is more cost effective. As a result, perfusion bioreactors can be advantageous regarding cost savings.