Application Note - Real-time Monitoring of DCO₂ in Addition to DO

In biopharmaceutical cell culture processes, maintaining optimal conditions requires precise control of dissolved oxygen (DO) and dissolved carbon dioxide (DCO₂). While DO is routinely monitored, limited visibility into DCO₂ can restrict process understanding and delay critical adjustments.

This application note explores how real-time, in-line monitoring of DCO₂, combined with DO, provides deeper insight into cell metabolism and process dynamics in Hybridoma cell cultures.

Bioprocess teams often face challenges such as limited real-time visibility into CO₂ accumulation and stripping, delayed detection of metabolic shifts, and difficulty linking process parameters like stirring and aeration to cell viability and productivity.

Using in-situ PAT sensors in a controlled bioreactor setup, this study demonstrates how combining DCO₂ and DO monitoring helps address these challenges. Real-time data enables earlier detection of changes in cell metabolic activity, supports faster responses to process deviations, and improves understanding of how operating conditions influence cell culture performance.

As a result, real-time DCO₂ monitoring revealed early indications of shifts in cell growth behavior and highlighted the impact of parameters such as agitation on gas balance and cell viability—often before these effects were confirmed by traditional off-line measurements.

In this application note, you will learn:

• Why DCO₂ is a critical but often overlooked parameter
• How real-time monitoring improves process control
• The relationship between gas dynamics and cell health
• Practical considerations for implementing in-line PAT in bioreactors