Sia Yiik Swan creator author. text my 2024 2024 monographic eng xvi, 138 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 30 cm. + 1 CD-ROM The increase in animal and human cell-based products and applications has led many manufacturers to increase their cell culture capacity and capabilities. Microcarrier has been known as the strategic alternative for the mass production of cells compared to conventional cell culture systems. However, hydrophobicity of synthetic polymer-based microcarriers make them unsuitable for cell adhesion. Besides, there are some issues regarding commercial microcarriers, such as relatively high prices and non-halal ingredients for some microcarriers. In this study, UVO and halal gelatin coated microcarriers were produced using low-cost raw materials with simple equipment and processes. Polycaprolactone (PCL) was used to produce spherical micro-particles with an oil-in-water (O/W) emulsification-solvent evaporation technique and Polystyrene (PS) microcarrier was produced with the same technique to compare with PCL microcarrier. Camphene, a porogen, was involved in producing porous structures in microcarriers. Several process parameters such as stirring speed, the ratio of polymer to organic solvent, the ratio of porogen to organic solvent, the concentration of emulsifier, and temperature were investigated during the production of microcarriers to optimize the particle sizes of the PCL and PS microcarriers. The particle size distribution of microcarriers was analyzed by Laser analyzer Mastersizer 2000. The particle surfaces were then modified by Ultraviolet Ozone (UVO) system to introduce oxygen-containing functional groups onto the microcarriers. The UVO treated microcarriers were then activated by cross-linking agent, EDAC/NHS, and coated with halal bovine gelatin to increase their hydrophilicity and biocompatibility. Physicochemical properties of the untreated, UVO treated, and gelatin coated PCL and PS microcarriers were determined by TBO, FTIR, contact angle, SEM, and DSC analysis in the study. The microcarriers were eventually evaluated in vitro for their cell growth and proliferation ability in the spinner vessel experiment. The study revealed that different process parameters affected the particle size of microcarriers differently. Porous PCL microcarriers were successfully produced with pore size ranging from 10 μm to 40 μm while PS microcarriers produced were non-porous. Higher concentration of COOH was found on microcarrier surface after UVO treatment. Based on FTIR analysis, new absorption bands were found on PCL and PS microcarriers after UVO treatment and gelatin coating, indicating successful introduction of oxygen related functional groups and gelatin molecules. The hydrophilicity of PCL and PS microcarriers improved after UVO treatment and gelatin coating. Gelatin coated PCL and PS also showed high thermal stability with Tmax of 336.05°C and 378.99°C respectively. The UVO treated and gelatin coated microcarriers PCL and PS were demonstrated as able to support the adhesion and proliferation of Vero cells in the spinner vessel. Among these microcarriers, UVO treated PS microcarriers achieved highest Vero cell concentration (3.81×106 cells/ml). In conclusion, this study successfully produced UVO treated and gelatin coated PCL and PS microcarriers which capable of supporting Vero cell attachment and proliferation. specialized Sia Yiik Swan Faculty of Chemical and Process Engineering Technology Thesis (Master of Science) -- Universiti Malaysia Pahang – 2024 Includes bibliographical references Faculty of Chemical and Process Engineering Technology Dissertations Universities and colleges Dissertations THE0009840 (Local) UMPSA 240523 20251125110856.0 eng