Yes, and from the point of view of its place in the market of disposable bioreactors this smart mini-bioreactor RTS-1 is unique. It occupies an intermediate link between shake flask reactors and typical bioreactors and laboratory bioreactors, while being similar to shake flasks because of the possibility of interdependent matrix cultivation, and high kLa values makes RTS-1 friendlier for further scalability.
The contradiction between the shaker and bioreactor way of realization of bioprocess implementation is not only in the impossibility of matching the data obtained but also that the principle of agitation (mixing to maximize the interaction of the reactants and microorganisms in the bioreactor) is quite different. Mass transfer, including oxygen saturation of the medium, the speed of incubation in a shaker incubator are incomparably lower than that in the bioreactor. Bioengineers of world's leading companies are in search of an intermediary, and there are hybrid solutions like installing bioreactor on a shaker or non-invasive monitoring of parameters of cultivation, but they are destined for failure because the most important parameter of bioprocess is mass transfer and shakers maximum kLa is 100 h-1 while average bioreactor kLa is 1000 h-1.
RTS-1 oxygen mass transfer into the broth medium is up to 200 h-1 and RTS mixing technology can occupy an intermediate stage of macroevolution of bioprocess and can be between shaker-incubators and bioreactors because of high kLa values and scalability. Moreover, when optimization bioprocess is required by matrix type cultivation where study of several interdependent physicochemical factors is required in configurations like, 2x2 = 4 RTS, 3x3 = 9 RTS, 4x4 = 16RTS, 5x5 = 25RTS, and even 10x10 = 100 concurrent bioreactors, the RTS can be perfectly applied. This kind of RTS technology bioreactor amount is acceptably imaginable on a laboratory bench or in case of the need of higher biological safety in Laminar Cabinets class II and III and this kind of solution can be cost efficient and consequently, promising.