Incubators Can Drive Cell Culture Throughput
Incubators are not just vital to cell culture viability and stability but are also a key determinant of cell culture throughput potential.
By Eppendorf and The Scientist
Cell culture is a staple of biomedical research and biomanufacturing that is only growing in prominence, in part because scientists have taken cell culture to the third dimension.1 3D architecture lets researchers create and use more physiologically relevant models, such as organoids, to better simulate in vivo cellular behavior. In the same way, suspension culture offers much higher volume capacity and throughput for biotechnological manufacturing compared to 2D monolayer culture.2,3
Image 1
An incubator shaking platform should balance surface area size with agitation uniformity and consistency to maximize throughput.
Why Throughput Matters
Throughput is a natural consideration for biomanufacturing, as scientists today use cells to generate a variety of products from peptides, metabolites, and enzymes, to therapeutics, biofuels, and artificial meats.2 Throughput, however, has also become a main priority for scientific researchers. Once, most cell culture experiments in basic science were small-scale pilots meant to deliver proof of concept and pave the way for translational work in animal models. However, logistical, cost, and ethical concerns around laboratory animals, combined with new cell engineering and data analysis tools, has swung the pendulum towards cell-based assays.1-3 Today, high-throughput cell culture can deliver larger data volumes in a fraction of the time and cost for applications such as drug candidate screening.4
How Incubators Influence Throughput
Cell culture throughput capacity is largely a combination of cell count (i.e., how many cells can one culture simultaneously) and environmental conditions (i.e., how viable and functional are these cells). Given this, the incubator plays a key but arguably overlooked role in determining throughput. While 2D culture dishes and flasks can be stacked on top of each other, the Erlenmeyer shake flasks popularly used for suspension culture cannot. As such, an incubator with multiple racks is vital for high throughput applications. It is further important that these racks can be filled to capacity without affecting heat and atmospheric distribution within the chamber. Eppendorf’s CellXpert® CS220 is a CO2 incubator with an extra-large shaking platform that can hold over one hundred 125 ml flasks. Each incubator is a stand-alone instrument, but they can also be stacked up to three-high to minimize footprint and save laboratory space.
Minimizing Downtime
Incubators also maximize throughput by minimizing downtime. They do this by limiting contamination with strong external seals and environmental controls and by streamlining maintenance with automated sterilization mechanisms for the internal chamber. For example, incubator technology has been moving away from open water baths as a source of humidity because the water posed a splash risk, created condensation that was a contamination risk, and needed to be frequently exchanged. Instead, modern incubators such as the CellXpert CS220 are equipped with active bidirectional controls for humidity, gas concentrations, and temperature.
The CellXpert CS220 is further equipped with a 180°C sterilization program that can be easily run using the on-board computer. This method is superior to UV-light irradiation, which only disinfects where the light can reach and may not cover all areas and surfaces. The CellXpert CS220 is also engineered with simple manual cleaning in mind, as the inner chamber possesses no crevices, cover sheets, cables, or heating fins to impede access to the chamber walls. Further, both the platform and sub-platform can be easily removed.
Image 2
Each CellXpert CS220 incubator is a stand-alone instrument but can also be stacked up to three-high to minimize laboratory footprint.
The Importance of Consistency
Ultimately, cell culture throughput is a question of consistency in cell counts, culture environmental conditions, and operational runtime. The CellXpert CS220 uses Eppendorf’s X-Drive shaker technology, which leverages intelligent counterbalancing to ensure vibration-free operation even with unbalanced loads. Finally, the incubator is operated using VisioNize software, consisting of a touch user interface system on the instrument itself that permits manual parameter adjustment and the Lab Suite that facilitates remote monitoring. Incubators such as the CellXpert CS220 represent the next generation of instruments, designed to help laboratory researchers and biomanufacturers get the most from their cells without sacrificing quality and consistency.
References
1. Weiskirchen S, et al. A beginner's guide to cell culture: Practical advice for preventing needless problems. Cells. 2023;12(5):682.
2. Narayanan H, et al. Accelerating cell culture media development using Bayesian optimization-based iterative experimental design. Nat Commun. 2025;16:6055.
3. Moro LG, et al. A brief history of cell culture: From Harrison to organs-on-a-chip. Cells. 2024;13(24):2068.
4. Wei F, et al. A review for cell-based screening methods in drug discovery. Biophys Rep. 2021;7(6):504-516.
