This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will develop a method for producing a novel form of a calcium phosphate (CaP) ceramic microcarrier for use in anchorage-dependent mammalian cell culturing applications. The developed microcarrier will be biomimetic in substance and will be fabricated in the form of a hollow microsphere in the size range of 1.0 to 3.0 mm. with wall thicknesses that result in a sintered density in the range of ~ 1.02 to 1.04 gins/cc. The CaP microcarrier beads must be sintered to function as a suspendable microcarrier for anchorage dependent cell cultures. The proper mixture of ceramic hydroxylapatite, tricalcium phosphate, and porosity phases in the microstructure provides the mitogenic and non-toxic property of the CaP substrate as unique features for mammalian cell culturing applications. Specialized fabrication methods will be explored for developing hollow microspheres. The use of mitogenic CaP substrates can offer several advantages for mammalian cell culturing applications. As a result of this program, the availability of mitogenic CaP substrates in a suspendable form has great potential to revolutionize the production of high volume cell cultured products of significant commercial value. Suspendable microcarriers for anchorage-dependent mammalian cell cultures will be used in large quantities for the production of cell-derived pharmaceuticals in bioreactors. This product addresses the rapidly expanding markets for monoclonal antibodies and genetically engineered bioproducts. This form of CaP substrate affords the opportunity of growing multi-cell thick layers of cells that maintain their phenotype over extended time periods for harvesting high volume biological products
