Abstract
The present study informs the spinner culture of cells with poor anchorage dependency by embedding in collagen droplets. The collagen gel droplets were formed by pouring an ice-cold cell suspension in collagen solution into prewarmed liquid paraffin while stirring. The cells in droplets grew in three dimensional forming clusters. Insulin-secreting In-R1-I10 cells proliferated from 107 on inoculation to 3.6 x 109 per flask during 21 culture days and the amounts of insulin secreted for 24 hr were 0.8, 2.1and 3.9 ug/flask on the 10th,15th and 21st day, respectively. The extent of cell growth could also be monitored by the measurement of consumption of glucose in the medium. This culture system makes it possible to obtain a large number of cells and to maintain functional integrity of cells in culture, and thus enables us to collect cellular products repeatedly during a long term culture period.
