Definition of "bioreactor" [bi•o•re•ac•tor]

• An apparatus, such as a large fermentation chamber, for growing organisms such as bacteria or yeast that are used in the biotechnological production of substances such as pharmaceuticals, antibodies, or vaccines, or for the bioconversion of organic waste. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "They are then placed in a 'bioreactor' - a piece of electrical equipment developed by NASA to mimic the effects of weightlessness."
• "David Green's team at Harvard Biosciences in Holliston, Mass., traveled to Stockholm and placed the matrix and the solution of cells into a custom-made device called a bioreactor."
• "The company has added a third bioreactor, which is expected to gain approval by year end."