Culture Development Archives - BioProcess InternationalBioProcess International

Analyzing Single-Use Polymers for Cell Culture Processes: Comparison of Cell Growth and Viability Test Procedures

by Jennifer Kneitz, Maximilian Rotter, Gregor Dekevic, Lukas Käßer, Peter Czermak and Denise Salzig

The acceptance and implementation of single-use systems (SUS) or “disposables” has increased strongly in bioprocess development and biopharmaceutical manufacturing over the past two decades. Typically, suppliers provide SUS presterilized and ready to use. Using SUS eliminates time-consuming and expensive cleaning procedures (which often require corrosive chemicals and a large amounts of water) and removes the need to perform cleaning validation between batches. The application of SUS reduces the risk of product cross-contamination and increases product and patient safety (1–5). Polypropylene…

Gain Control of Culture Conditions: Technology for Sustained Delivery of Recombinant Proteins

by Pamela De Lacy and Sally Temple

Growth factors, added at the precise time and concentration to in vitro cultures are essential to control cell proliferation and differentiation. When added to a culture vessel, however, the concentrations of these signaling proteins rapidly decline, altering both levels of individual growth factors and the ratio of factors for cell signaling. When growth factors are replenished by exchanging the medium, concentrations peak, resulting in an ebb and flow of growth factor levels resulting in mixed signaling that can lead the…

Model-Based Process Monitoring of Algae Cultures Using eve Software

by P. Jerono, A. Schaum, T. Meurer, I. Zamora and D. von Blarer

In bioreactor processes, the on-line monitoring of key parameters relies on the use of adequate sensors. In this article, we implement model-based software sensors to monitor nitrate concentrations in an algae batch process. Nitrate concentration is a crucial component in algae growth, and its assessment is used to achieve optimal growth conditions or to determine optimal harvest times. Batch cultivation of the algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is carried out in a Labfors 5 airlift photobioreactor provided by INFORS-HT. By means of…

The Promise of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare

by Oscar Rodriguez, Rafael Rosengarten and Andrew Satz

The term artificial intelligence (AI) has become pervasive in conversations about the future of healthcare. AI has the potential to transform medicine through novel models of scientific discovery and healthcare delivery, ultimately leading to improved individual and public health. Yet misunderstanding and miscommunication abound. Thus, concepts related to AI need to be defined and explained to elevate our general level of understanding and our discourse around the topic. The Promise of AI in Healthcare AI has been studied by computer…

The Five Heresies of Cell Culture: Debunking Conventional Wisdom

by Ian Sarad

Cell culture and bioprocessing conventional wisdom remains a hurdle for the wider adoption of more precise tools. It has been more than 60 years since any real progress has been made towards creating a more accurate and reliable way of performing cell culture monitoring to better understand the effects of things like pH and oxygen at the pericellular level. At SBI, we’re developing optical sensing technologies that unlock the “black box” of cell culture to bring actionable insights to scientists…

Novel Integrated Raman Spectroscopy Technology for Minibioreactors: Accelerating Raman Model Building for Cell Culture Monitoring and Control

by Michael Sibley, Angus Woodhams, Marek Hoehse and Barney Zoro

Raman spectroscopy is used widely in biomanufacturing as a process analytical technology (PAT) for monitoring analytes such as glucose and lactate (1). Predictive Raman models also can be used to control glucose concentration in cell cultures (2). The technique is becoming more popular for pilot- and manufacturing-scale bioreactors, but it only recently has been studied with minibioreactors for measuring analytes and producing predictive Raman models for feedback control (3) thanks to advances in integrated technology for automating sampling, analysis, and…

The Critical Role of Media in Intensified Upstream Processes

by Melanie Brandl and Habib Horry

As the need for novel therapeutics increases, so does pressure on the biopharmaceutical industry to improve productivity, accelerate development, increase, and reduce costs — all while ensuring drug product quality. Upstream intensification strategies such as perfusion culture can address those challenges and achieve higher protein titers that can translate into higher throughput, improved flexibility, and compressed timelines. Successful implementation of perfusion culture or the transition to perfusion from fed-batch culture requires a different and strategic approach to media selection, not…

Cell Culture Media: An Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient or Ancillary Material?

by Abrar Alturkistani, Alison R. Carter, Edward Meinert and David A. Brindley

Cell-based therapies are used to treat diseases that require the replacement of diseased, dysfunctional, and injured cells (1). To produce these therapies, a wide range of reagents and materials such as antibodies, growth factors, and enzymes are used in their manufacturing processes. Such necessary materials are administered through a cell culture medium. Active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) are the main ingredients that make products therapeutic. Ancillary materials (AMs) and raw materials (RMs) are essential components used during production but are not…

Enhanced Galactosylation of Monoclonal Antibodies: Using Medium Supplements and Precursors of UDP-Galactose, Part 1

by Roger Anderson, Lindsay Hock, Rachel Yao and Sadettin Ozturk

The biopharmaceutical industry needs better understanding of how monoclonal antibody (MAb) glycosylation is influenced by components in cultivation media — and it needs methods to exert some control over the structure of MAb glycans. That structure can affect MAb function. Thus, a high-throughput (HTP) assay is needed for characterizing MAb glycosylation so that developers can observe the effects of cultivation conditions on MAb glycosylation rapidly, with a goal of producing MAbs that have a desired glycan structure. The method also…

Special Report: Effect of Insulin on Cell Growth and Virus Production

by Aziza Manceur

Recombinant insulin is a key component in serum-free growth media for mammalian cells. It is used for the manufacturing of monoclonal antibodies, virus vaccines, gene therapy products and many other biological drug products approved by regulatory bodies worldwide, including FDA and EMA. Canada’s National Research Council (NRC) helps companies develop and commercialize new health technologies. Recently it partnered with Novo Nordisk Pharmatech to determine the effect of Insulin on cell growth and virus production. The results are detailed in this…