Method and apparatus for culturing cells

摘要

A method and apparatus for improving the efficiency of the growth of cell and tissue cultures in vitro is disclosed. The improvement in efficiency is achieved through the use of a scaffold formed from an open cell polymer foam that has been surface treated by an oxidative plasma discharge. In one embodiment, the polymer foam is a polystyrene foam treated with an oxygen gas plasma to functionalize the surface of the polymer. In the preferred embodiment, the scaffold is used as an insert for a bioreactor to culture cells and tissue. The scaffold is formed from a porous polymer structure having a continuous polymer matrix with a plurality of interconnected open pores. The pore size typically ranges from about 50 microns to about 500 microns.