Agitation is a cornerstone of successful microcarrier-based cell culture, ensuring uniform mixing, nutrient distribution, and oxygenation. However, improper agitation can lead to issues such as aggregate formation or cell damage. Here are five focused tips to help you optimise agitation and achieve consistent results in your microcarrier culture.

  1. Know Your Context

Different cell types have varying tolerances to shear stress. For example, vaccine production often requires high shear conditions to enhance viral production, while delicate cells such as stem cells need gentler agitation to avoid damage. Understanding your cell type’s sensitivity is key to determining the right agitation parameters.

  1. Use Intermittent Agitation During Initial Seeding

The agitation strategy during the seeding phase is critical for maximising cell attachment. Intermittent agitation during the early stages helps minimise shear stress and allows cells to attach securely to microcarriers. Once attachment is complete, switch to continuous agitation to distribute cells evenly and prevent microcarrier clumping.

  1. Balance Agitation Speed

Too slow agitation encourages microcarrier aggregation, leading to uneven cell growth and poor nutrient distribution. On the other hand, excessive agitation can inhibit cell growth, cause cell detachment, and even promote senescence. Gradually adjust speed to find the optimal balance for your culture system.

  1. Incorporate Stepwise Agitation Increases

Rather than maintaining a constant agitation speed, adopt a stepwise approach. Start with gentle agitation during early culture phases, when cells are most sensitive to shear stress, and gradually increase the speed as the culture matures. This ensures cells remain healthy while promoting better oxygenation and nutrient distribution over time.

  1. Use Agitation to Enhance Enzymatic Detachment and Microcarrier Dissolution

At the end of the culture process, agitation can aid enzymatic detachment of cells and dissolution of microcarriers. Gentle agitation ensures uniform distribution of enzymes, such as trypsin, and facilitates efficient detachment of cells from microcarriers. Similarly, agitation helps dissolve biodegradable microcarriers, ensuring minimal residues and a clean cell harvest. Optimise agitation speed during this phase to balance detachment efficiency and cell viability.

Successfully navigating these challenges is key to optimising your microcarrier culture and achieving consistent, high-quality results. If you’re ready to upscale your cell cultivation efficiently and effectively, get in touch with Smart MCs. Our advanced product suite is designed to support large-scale manufacturing, offering reliable and high-performance microcarriers tailored to meet the needs of various cell lines. Partner with us to take your bioprocessing to the next level and unlock the full potential of your microcarrier culture systems.

Explore our solutions today and experience the difference with Smart MCs!