Large-scale growth of the Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasite in a wave bioreactor

• Published in: International journal for parasitology Vol. 42; no. 3; pp. 215 - 220
• Main Authors: Dalton, John P., Demanga, Corine G., Reiling, Sarah J., Wunderlich, Juliane, Eng, Jenny W.L., Rohrbach, Petra
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.03.2012; Elsevier
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Bioreactors - parasitology; Cell Culture Techniques - instrumentation; Cell Culture Techniques - methods; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Human protozoal diseases; Humans; In vitro culture; Infectious diseases; Life cycle. Host-agent relationship. Pathogenesis; Malaria; Malaria, Falciparum - parasitology; Medical sciences; Parasitic diseases; Plasmodium; Plasmodium falciparum; Plasmodium falciparum - growth & development; Protozoa; Protozoal diseases; Schizonts; Synchronous; Trophozoites; Wave bioreactor; Plasmodium; Synchronous; Trophozoites; Wave bioreactor; Schizonts; Malaria; In vitro culture; Protozoa; Apicomplexa; Protozoal disease; Growth; Parasite; Parasitosis; In vitro; Infection; Plasmodium falciparum; Bioreactor; Trophozoite; Large scale; Culture
• ISSN: 0020-7519; 1879-0135
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2012.01.001

[Display omitted] ► Breakthrough method for the scale-up of synchronous and asynchronous malaria blood stage cultures in wave bioreactor. ► Significant savings on both labour and material costs, and reduced likelihood of culture contamination. ► Method allows large scale isolation of various stages of intra-erythrocytic stages from single culture. ► Methods will allow high throughput screening of compound libraries using identical live parasites. ► Methods will allow development of live or dead cell vaccines under GMP compliant standards. We describe methods for the large-scale in vitro culturing of synchronous and asynchronous blood-stage Plasmodium falciparum parasites in sterile disposable plastic bioreactors controlled by wave-induced motion (wave bioreactor). These cultures perform better than static flask cultures in terms of preserving parasite cell cycle synchronicity and reducing the number of multiple-infected erythrocytes. The straight-forward methods described here will facilitate the large scale production of malaria parasites for antigen and organelle isolation and characterisation, for the high throughput screening of compound libraries with whole cells or extracts, and the development of live- or whole-cell malaria vaccines under good manufacturing practice compliant standards.