Abstract
Biopolymer membrane was prepared using two oppositely charged natural biopolymers. The biopolymer membrane was used for the encapsulation of two hybridoma cell lines(ATCC CRL-1606, ATCC HB-8852) to produce monoclonal antibodies. In order to reduce the down stream steps, the pre size of the membrane was controlled to retain the monoclonal antibodies in the capsules based on the diffusion experiments with standard proteins. T-flask culture showed cell densities of 8$\times$107 cells/mL and 3$\times$107 cells/mL, and MAb concentrations of 506$\mu$g/mL and 109$\mu$g/mL for encapsulated ATCC CRL-1606 and HB-8852, respectively. Two liter perfusion cultures with encapsulated ATCC HB-8852 were performed to enhance the MAb production. The MAb production of the encapsulated hybridoma increased considerably comparing to the culture using silicon tubing for oxygen transfer.