MiniPRO Vertical-Wheel Bioreactor System as an Efficient Scale-Down Model for iPSC Process Development, Enabling Process Control, Perfusion Culture, and Closed Operation

This poster evaluates the PBS MiniPRO as a controlled scale-down platform for human induced pluripotent stem cell process development. The system combines four 500 mL Vertical-Wheel vessels with online pH and dissolved oxygen monitoring, gas control, integrated retention filters, perfusion pumps, and closed fluid-handling connections. Experiments examined process reproducibility, direct thaw from high-density cell banks, commercial and modified media, settlement and perfusion feeding, oxygen control, aggregate morphology, and representative sampling. Controlling dissolved oxygen at 50% increased final cell yield compared with an uncontrolled 0.5 L incubator condition. Growth rates and metabolic profiles were comparable between MiniPRO and 3 L cultures operated at scale-correlated agitation rates. The study also validates a closed-system sampling workflow designed to collect representative iPSC aggregate samples while limiting gravity-driven settling in transfer lines.