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Cell harvesting is a critical upstream step in bioprocessing workflows for applications ranging from cancer research to vaccine development. Traditional harvesting methods, such as centrifugation and dead-end filtration, can compromise cell viability, induce apoptosis, and reduce yields due to mechanical stress. In this study, we evaluated the µPulse Tangential Flow Filtration (TFF) System for gentle and efficient harvesting of HepG2 hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Comparative analyses using conventional centrifugation showed that µPulse processing achieved better cell yields while maintaining high viability, as confirmed by MTT assay, colony-forming efficiency, and apoptosis staining.
AO/EB Staining of HepG2 Cells. Representative fluorescence microscopy images showing predominantly live cells with minimal apoptotic or necrotic cells (arrows) in µPulse-harvested sample (B) compared to centrifugation (A).
Furthermore, the µPulse enabled rapid processing with automated operation, reducing hands-on time and improving reproducibility. These results establish that the µPulse - TFF system is a simple, efficient, and gentle alternative for lab-scale mammalian cell harvesting, making it well suited for cell therapy, vaccine production, and fundamental cell biology research.