Suspension cell culture is a cell culture method in which cells grow freely dispersed in a liquid culture medium without requiring attachment to a solid surface, making it particularly suited for non-anchorage-dependent cell types such as CHO, HEK293F, Sf9, and lymphocyte-derived cell lines. It is the predominant upstream bioprocessing format in biopharmaceutical manufacturing due to its inherent scalability — from shake flasks and rocking motion bioreactors to large-scale stirred-tank bioreactors — and its compatibility with fed-batch, batch, and perfusion culture strategies. Suspension culture is widely used for the production of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), recombinant proteins, viral vectors, and other biologics at both clinical and commercial scale.
