Two big things matter when considering the right vessel for your cell line: the desired surface area and the optimal surface treatment. You could make most vessels work for your desired surface area and scale, but they might not always be feasible. For example, you could use either roller bottles or stacked vessels for a process requiring a large yield of cultures — but the former might take hundreds of bottles, and a stacked solution might be more efficient.
Surface treatments are trickier. Because different vessels offer different coatings and modifications, Suarez says the first things researchers should consider are what surfaces are available and how their cell lines will perform on them. If you're not sure, ask your supplier.
"Across all different platforms—whether that's a roller bottle, stacked vessel, or fixed bed bioreactor—there's going to be an associated surface or characteristic that's unique to the vessel," he said. "These can vary between surface modifications, which are material changes to the vessel, and surface coatings, which are applied to the vessel."
"For surface modifications," he continued, "you might want a tissue culture-treated vessel, which is standard for most needs, or you might choose something like a康宁®CellBind®surface that maintains cell attachment while being able to withstand multiple media exchanges. For surface coatings, you might feel your cell line would thrive with a collagen coating, for example. But not all treatments are available on all vessels, so there are trade-offs to consider at the outset."
If you're ever in doubt about your chosen platform, Suarez says, the best practice is test it out.
"You'll want to undergo small process development testing before you get too far down the path of committing to specific platforms," he said. "The outcomes of these tests can help researchers understand the timing of their planned cell expansion; optimize conditions for cell viability, adherence, and maximum yield; and ultimately determine the best surface for that exact cell line before doing things at scale."