Bladeless Bioreactor for Cell Culture

Conventional stirred-tank bioreactors (STRs) often expose cells to high shear stress from impellers, which can damage sensitive cell types like mammalian or stem cells and reduce viability by up to 20–30%. Their complex internal structures with baffles, probes, and impellers also make cleaning and sterilization challenging, with cleaning-related downtime reported to account for as much as 30–40% of overall operation time.

This technology offers a novel bladeless bioreactor that achieves homogeneous, gentle mixing without impellers, supported by a simple geometry that enhances cleanability. It enables the scalable and hygienic cultivation of sensitive cells, addressing critical bottlenecks in regenerative medicine and sustainable food production.

This technology consists of a bladeless bioreactor (hardware) and a proprietary fluid simulator (software) used to optimize mixing conditions in advance. The innovative, blade-free system generates self-sustained vortices via the controlled rotation of a partially filled container, achieving homogeneous, low-shear mixing without internal mechanical parts. This unique design provides exceptionally low shear stress, protecting fragile cells, while the simple geometry ensures enhanced cleaning efficiency and reduced contamination risk.