Patent ID: 7390652

Claim:
A system for separating cells from microcarriers on which the cells have been cultivated, the system comprising: (a) a bioreactor in which the cells were cultivated on the microcarriers; (b) a flow path from the bioreactor to a separation device; (c) a separation device comprising: (i) an inlet situated at the bottom of the device; (ii) a single column having a cylindrical upper section and a conical lower section, wherein the walls of the cone are at an angle which allows the microcarriers that settle on the walls to move downward to the inlet; (iii) an outlet, for the collection of cells and the aqueous solution, situated at the top of the device; and (iv) a mesh screen located on the upper end of the column; wherein the microcarriers are retained in suspension by an upward flow in the separation device and are retained in the separation device by a mesh screen, and the cells and aqueous solution are collected through the outlet; and (d) a pump, wherein the pump directs the flow of the aqueous solution from the bioreactor to the outlet.