Tools for High-Throughput Medium and Process Optimization

There is an increasing need for high-throughput scale-down models that are representative of commercial bioprocesses, particularly in the field of animal cell biotechnology. In this chapter we describe two protocols for small-scale disposable plastic vessels: 125-mL Erlenmeyer shake flasks and 50-mL centrifuge tubes. We also describe two common applications for these scale-down platforms: (1) satellite cultures derived from conventional bioreactor runs for optimizing the feed strategy for fed-batch cultures and (2) testing multifactorial experimental designs for designing the components of a base medium.