METHODS FOR MONITORING THE STABILITY OF PROTEIN OR CELLULAR PRODUCT SECRETION BY CELLS IN A FERMENTER CULTURE

摘要

The invention features a method for monitoring the stability of a protein or other cellular product secreted by cells in a fermenter culture. The method involves, harvesting from a fermenter culture a first sample of cells that secrete a protein or cellular product and incorporating the cells from the first sample into gel microdrops (GMDs), and measuring secretion of the protein or cellular product by cells in one or more GMD samples over time. The protein secreted by the cells may be, for example, an antibody, cytokine, or growth factor. The cellular product secreted by the cells may be, for example, an antibiotic, amino acid, vitamin, or carbohydrate.