Author Archives: Jeffrey Johnson

Updating the Economics of Biologics Manufacturing with 5,000-L Single-Use Bioreactors: A Paradigm Shift

Single-use technologies enable a flexibility and modularity effectively unattainable with more traditional stainless-steel technologies, particularly in upstream bioprocesses. Single-use bioreactors up to 2,000 L are employed largely in preclinical- and clinical-stage bioprocesses to leverage this flexibility. As products reach commercial maturity, scales larger than 2,000 L frequently become desirable to take advantage of economies of scale. With the typical upper limit of single-use bioreactors at 2,000 L, this has traditionally meant transfer to stainless-steel systems. The introduction of the Thermo…

Special Report: Toward Sustainable Engineering Practices in Biologics Manufacturing

Introduction by William P. Flanagan Biopharmaceutical development and manufacturing demand scalable processes that can be quickly developed, easily implemented, and smoothly transferred to production. Disposable, ready-to-use technologies play a crucial role in providing flexibility to support agile biomanufacturing operations. Single-use systems provide process efficiencies by removing steps such as cleaning and cleaning validation, thus allowing for faster change-over between manufacturing runs. The biopharmaceutical industry is increasingly adopting single-use approaches, and the global market for such bioprocessing tools is expected to…