Analysis of Gene Expression Signatures for Osteogenic 3D Perfusion-Bioreactor Cell Cultures Based on a Multifactorial DoE Approach

The use of multifactorial design of experiments (DoE) in tissue engineering bioprocess development will contribute to the robust manufacturing of tissue engineered constructs by linking their quality characteristics to bioprocess operating parameters. In this work, perfusion bioreactors were used for the in vitro culture and osteogenic differentiation of human periosteum-derived cells (hPDCs) seeded on three-dimensional titanium (Ti) alloy scaffolds. A CaP-supplemented medium was used to induce differentiation of the cultured hPDCs. A two-level, three-factor fractional factorial design OPEN ACCESS Processes 2014, 2 640 was employed to evaluate a range of bioreactor operating conditions by changing the levels of the following parameters: flow rate (0.5–2 mL/min), cell culture duration (7–21 days) and cell seeding density (1.5 × 10 3 –3 × 10 3 cells/cm 2 ). This approach allowed for evaluating the individual impact of the aforementioned process parameters upon a range of genes that are related to the osteogenic lineage, such as collagen type I, alkaline phosphatase, osterix, osteopontin and osteocalcin. Furthermore, by overlaying gene-specific response surfaces, an integrated operating process space was highlighted within which predetermined values of the six genes of interest (i.e., gene signature) could be minimally met over the course of the bioreactor culture time.