LEVITRONIX low-shear PUMP SYSTEMS IN BIOTECHNOLOGICAL PROCESSING
No Risk to Sensitive Media
Animal or plant cells used in biopharmaceutical production can be very sensitive to external mechanical forces such as shear stress. Besides the loss in biological activity, cell disruption can lead to the release of cell components and enrichment of cell debris in the culture media.
Learn how the LEVITRONIX magnetic levitation technology MagLev can help you to prevent loosing valuable cell suspension and help you to save time and money.
See how different pumps interact with cell suspensions
Higher Cell Viability Compared to Peristaltic Pumps
Based on CFD modelling it is known that MagLev pumps maintain very low shear force levels even at increased rotational speed. In order to understand the relation between shear force level occurring and cell viability, damages tests with CHO cells (CHO XM111‐10) have been performed by the Zurich University of Applied Sciences ZHAW.
For the test CHO cells were cultivated in the single‐use wave‐mixed system and then circulated in a defined set-up under different working conditions. As a result relative cell viability over time was measured.
The figure on the right hand side shows the comparison of two different peristaltic pumps, a LEVITRONX MagLev pump as well as a static sample which was not circulated.

Higher Cell Viability Compared to 4-Piston Pumps
The recent introduction of 4-piston membrane pumps is being seen as an alternative offering to the peristaltic pumps with the aim to improve reliability and processing performance. These pumps were also investigated and compared to different size LEVITRONIX MagLev pumps.
The chart on the left hand side shows again CHO cell viability over time using the different pump systems in a defined circulation scenario. Also two reference samples, one static and one shaken, were provided as comparison benchmarks.
Technical Backgrounds
- A cost-effective and reliable method to predict mechanical stress in single-use and standard pumps.PDF
- Entwicklung einer magnetgelagerten Single-Use-Zentrifugalpumpe.pdf
- Evaluation of mechanical stress on an oil-water emulsion system in magnetically levitated single-use centrifugal pumps.pdf
- Investigation on mechanical stress on single use pumps.pdf
- Investigations into Mechanical Stress Caused to CHO Suspension Cells by Single-use Magnetically Levitated, Bearingless Centrifugal Pumps.pdf
- Mechanical stress analysis of transfected CHO suspension celles - MagLev versus membrane pumps.pdf
- Mechanical stress analysis of transfected CHO suspension celles - MagLev versus perestaltic pumps.pdf
- Mechanical stress exerted on proteins by magnetically levitated single-use centrifugal pumps.pdf