Methods of treating cell culture media for use in a bioreactor

1. A method of treating cell culture media for use in a bioreactor comprising: (a) exposing the cell culture media to ultraviolet C (UVC) light at an energy density of 120-320 J/m 2 ; (b) passing the UVC-treated cell culture media through a sterile filter; and (c) introducing the filtered, UVC-treated cell culture media into a bioreactor.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the UVC light has a wavelength of 254 nm.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cell culture media is exposed to UVC light at a flow rate of 1-12 liters per hour.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the flow rate is 6 liters per hour.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the log reduction value is greater than or equal to 4.85.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the log reduction value is 6-7.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cell culture media is exposed to UVC light at an energy density of 238 J/m 2 .

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sterile filter has pores with a maximum size of 200 nm.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of exposing the cell culture media to UVC light is sufficient to damage the nucleic acids of any non-enveloped viruses in the cell culture media.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the treated cell culture media is used to support the growth of mammalian cells.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the mammalian cells are capable of producing antibodies.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the treated cell culture media is used to support the growth of insect cells.

13. A method of treating cell culture media for use in a bioreactor comprising: (a) exposing the cell culture media to ultraviolet C (UVC) light at an energy density of 120-320 J/m 2 ; (b) passing the UVC-treated cell culture media through a depth filter; (c) passing the cell culture media through a sterile filter; and (d) introducing the filtered, UVC-treated cell culture media into a bioreactor.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the UVC light has a wavelength of 254 nm.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the cell culture media is exposed to UVC light at a flow rate of 1-12 liters per hour.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the flow rate is 6 liters per hour.

17. The method of claim 13 , wherein the log reduction value is greater than or equal to 4.85.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the log reduction value is 6-7.

19. The method of claim 13 , wherein the cell culture media is exposed to UVC light at an energy density of 238 J/m 2 .

20. The method of claim 13 , wherein the cell culture media is passed through the depth filter at an acidic pH.

21. The method of claim 20 , wherein the cell culture media is passed through the depth filter at pH 5.0.

22. The method of claim 13 , wherein the sterile filter has pores with a maximum size of 200 nm.

23. The method of claim 13 , wherein the step of exposing the cell culture media to UVC light is sufficient to damage the nucleic acids of any non-enveloped viruses in the cell culture media.

24. The method of claim 13 , wherein the step of passing the cell culture media through a depth filter is sufficient to remove any enveloped viruses from the cell culture media.

25. The method of claim 13 , wherein the treated cell culture media is used to support the growth of mammalian cells.

26. The method of claim 13 , wherein the mammalian cells are capable of producing antibodies.

27. The method of claim 13 , wherein the treated cell culture media is used to support the growth of insect cells.