Bioreactors are an integral form of commercial biotechnology in areas as diverse as food production, pharmaceutical process and bioremediation.

More recently, these devices have been applied to large-scale stem cell production and tissue engineering.

Cell biologists are just beginning to understand why cells and tissues grown in bioreactors grow more effectively, and how different types of mechanical stimuli can affect development.

Biological engineering draws on mechanical engineering expertise in computer simulation and mechanical modelling to explore the physical fluid properties of stirred bioreactors.

These principles are now being applied to practical cell/tissue culture applications.