What are single-use bioreactors and their advantages?

Single-use bioreactors (SUBs) are disposable cultivation systems with plastic bags/vessels that are discarded after each batch. Advantages include: no cleaning or sterilization between batches (reducing turnaround time), lower risk of cross-contamination, reduced validation burden, lower initial capital costs, flexibility for multi-product facilities, and faster facility construction. Limitations include higher consumable costs, limited maximum volumes (typically up to 2000L), environmental concerns from plastic waste, extractables/leachables considerations, and reduced sensor options. SUBs are increasingly used in clinical manufacturing and smaller-scale commercial production, particularly for mammalian cell culture.