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EFFECT OF BUOYANCY-DRIVEN CONVECTION ON ADHERENT CELL CULTURES.  J.P.Kizito1 and E.S.Nelson2,  1National Center for Microgravity Research for Fluids and Combustion, and 2NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH;

   In order to appropriately design, test, and analyze adherent cell culture growth rate, it is necessary to account for the effect of the local conditions, such as the presence of adequate nutrients, which may change dynamically as a function of time.  This is particularly important in the development and analysis of cultures grown in different gravitational environments, such as the International Space Station, on the moon, and on Mars. 

   The purpose of this work is to define the extent to which buoyancy-driven flow is an influence on the growth rate of a given culture, and to present a computational tool to aid in assessment of this important feature.  The model is generic to tissue growth, bioremediation, and other aqueous systems, and therefore requires specific input regarding the example of "gray water" regions of a potable water loop.  We find that the culture growth rate can be significantly modified in space relative to earth due to the impact of buoyancy-driven convection.

   (Supported by NASA Glenn Research Center)