Production of monoclonal antibodies from hybridoma cells immobilized in 3D sol-gel silica matrices

The immobilization of mammalian cells in suitable matrices that can retain their viability and capability to produce certain metabolites has gained attention in recent years. In this work, hybridoma cells were immobilized in sol-gel silica matrices for in vitro production of monoclonal antibodies. For that purpose, different matrices were evaluated in terms of cell viability, antibody diffusion to surrounding media and physicochemical properties of the polymeric material. Tetrakis (2-ethoxyethyl) orthosilicate (THEOS) matrices were found to be the best option for hybridoma immobilization. The concentrations of the silica precursor as well as the number of immobilized cells were also optimized. Three hundred mM of THEOS precursor and 5 x 10(5) hybridoma cells appear to be the most suitable alternative. Hybridoma cells immobilized in THEOS matrices were able to produce monoclonal antibodies to the same extent as free cells, thus introducing the possibility of using them in the design of bioreactors for large-scale production.