The industrial bioprocess of CHO cell cultivation requires accurate determination of cell concentration and viability for various important reasons. The Vi-Cell XR device, currently used in the Department of biological products development at Lek d.d. Biofarmacevtika Mengeš, has been discontinued, posing a problem due to the lack of maintenance and software support. Therefore, a comparison of two potential alternative devices was conducted: Norma XS, based on light diffraction method, and Vi-Cell BLU, based on trypan blue staining. Based on tests and analysis of results, it was found that the Vi-Cell BLU device adequately meets all tested validation parameters for cell counting and viability determination. This device is also more precise and accurate than the previous Vi-Cell XR device. The trypan blue staining method proved to be more suitable than the light diffraction method. Despite its exceptional precision, the Norma XS device was not deemed suitable due to imprecise measurements. Nevertheless, it has potential due to its low sample volumes and high precision if corrections were applied. A device that will replace the Vi-Cell XR must be at least equally accurate and precise, enabling improved analyses, process optimization, and informed decision-making, and the Vi-Cell BLU device meets all of these criteria.
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