Much has been said (probably too much!) on the effect of hydrodynamic forces on cells. Much of this confusion is the result of a lack of straight-forward way to characterize both the hydrodynamic environment of the cell as well as the effect that this hydrodynamic environment has on the cell. However, recent data in our laboratory has confirmed that significant, non-lethal effects can be observed at sub-lethal levels. However, these levels are still relatively high compared to most bioprocesses. In addition, we have found a number of cell lines which are significantly more sensitive than typical cell lines.

The Chalmers lab has been advocating for a number of years the use of the local energy dissipation rate, EDR, as a means to provide just such a way to characterize both the bioprocess environment as well as the effect of hydrodynamic forces on cells. In this presentation we wish to summarize the latest non-lethal effects of hydrodynamic forces on cells, both from our lab and others, as well as a characterization of various bioprocessing environments (not just bioreactors!).