automation – BioProcessing Journal

Spent Media Analysis with an Integrated CE-MS Analyzer of Chinese Hamster Ovary Cells Grown in an Ammonia-Stressed Parallel Microbioreactor Platform

When working on biotherapeutic process development, the analysis of spent cell culture media is often a daily practice during the optimization of bioreactor conditions and media composition. The introduction of parallel microbioreactor systems has decreased the complexity and costs of process development by allowing for concurrent studies of multiple bioreactor and media variables. However, the bioreactors’ small volumes (typically less than 250 mL) limit the volume of media one can extract for daily sampling. We describe a means to analyze spent media with an integrated microchip capillary electrophoresis mass spectrometer (CE-MS) analyzer with minimal sample volume requirements and rapid analysis time. The platform was evaluated with a parallel microbioreactor system (ambr® 250) culturing a Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell line stressed by varying levels of ammonia (NH₃).

The spent media analysis identified net increases in the levels of the amino acids (AA) Ala, Arg, Asp, Glu, Gly, His, Ile, Leu, Lys, Phe, Thr, Trp, Tyr, and Val in all bioreactors, with Gly levels showing increases in excess of 8-fold initial levels in all bioreactors. Other media components either steadily decreased in concentration or were completely depleted by the end of culture. For example, Asn was depleted in all of the unstressed and 10 mM NH₃-stressed bioreactors, but was approximately twice as high as the initial levels in the 30 mM NH₃-stressed bioreactors at the end of the culture periods. Also, the 30 mM NH₃-stressed condition may have caused either complete degradation or rapid consumption of choline, since it was no longer present starting at the t = 36 h sampling. Overall, the monitored media components were observed to have independent trajectories based on feeding and consumption by the cells, and depending on the stressed condition. The capability to have more frequent spent media analyses would allow for real-time observation of these process changes and associated control strategies.

Biologics Production

automation capillary electrophoresis mass spectrometer microbioreactor process control process optimization spent media analysis

Evaluation of a Single-Use Benchtop Process Development System to Optimize Cell Growth and Scale-Up of Veterinary Vaccine Production

In the past 20 years, mammalian cell lines have been utilized to produce many viral veterinary vaccines. Cell lines such as baby hamster kidney (BHK)-21, Vero, and Madin Darby canine kidney (MDCK) are widely used because they help facilitate shorter manufacturing lead times and tighter process controls. As compared to other biotech products, viral vaccine manufacturing processes present some specific constraints linked to the cell substrates used. With the global veterinary vaccine market value predicted to be almost $7 billion per year by 2021[2], to remain competitively priced as well as profitable, bioprocess scientists are under pressure to develop methods for faster and more cost-efficient cell culture production. This has led to a shift from the use of expensive, two-dimensional T-flask and roller bottles to single-use, stirred tank bioreactors with microcarriers, or the adaptation of attachment-dependent cell lines such as BHK-21 for suspension culture. This requires time-consuming optimization and scale-up development experiments, which are real drawbacks. However, utilizing automated, single-use mini bioreactors as a scale-down model can enable more efficient use of time and optimization of media, feed, and culture conditions to de-risk upstream process development. In this article, single-use, mini bioreactors are evaluated to determine if they are geometrically comparable to benchtop bioreactors (both glass and single-use vessels) and pilot-scale, single-use bioreactors for effectively modelling mammalian cell culture at 2 L and 50 L scale…

Biologics Production

automation mammalian cell culture process development scale-up single-use bioreactor vaccines veterinary

Deploying Automated Buffer Production for cGMP Use: Points to Consider

Biopharmaceutical manufacturing often takes place in tank farms – facilities in which large-volume vessels are used to support cell culture processes with equally sized, or even larger buffer preparation and storage tanks to support downstream processing. While the large cell culture vessels used to produce products are justifiable, current downstream buffer management approaches relying on high-capacity tanks lead to constraints on facility construction, operations, and plant flexibility….

Manufacturing

automated buffer formulation automation buffer management chemical equilibria GMP in-line conditioning

Trends in Bioprocess Automation: Quality Control and Process Analytical Technology in High Demand

Automation in bioprocessing was a keynote topic at the ISBioTech 4th Annual Fall Meeting (December 12–14, 2016) in Virginia Beach, VA. Automation is becoming increasingly critical as biomanufacturers seek to improve their production efficiency and critical risk analysis, and reduce errors. But despite recent improvements and innovations, the actual integration of devices, software, sensors, and production equipment remains a challenge. In BioPlan Associates’ recent analysis of capacity and production, we found that nearly 20% of the biopharma industry sees increasing productivity and efficiency as the #1 critical issue the industry needs to focus on today. And over two-thirds expect better control of their processes. An obvious way to achieve these goals is through automation…

Manufacturing

automation data analysis process analytical technology process control quality control

Deriving Insight at the Speed of Thought: Advancing Medicine Production Through an Effective Data Analytics Methodology

In a world already awash with technology, life sciences companies are racing to add more automation and data sources, while ironically often spending less time focused on process improvements. In some cases, these two opposing actions can still produce positive results by: (a) reducing manual labor to minimize data translation errors; (b) adding sensors to gather a new kind of data about a protein or a process; or (c) implementing high-throughput techniques for biopharmaceutical development. But what about those situations where collecting new data is not so positive? Does it really make sense to run experiments without the full benefits of accessing accumulated data or gathering new data? Or to proceed without the insights gained from a colleague down the hall or at another site working on a related project? The difficulty in realizing these potential data analytics benefits often arises because more sensors tend to produce large, complex datasets with multivariate interactions. Further, the inherently complex nature of these datasets makes extraction of meaningful and relevant information a challenging task. This is where a streamlined data analytics methodology can help by providing the foundation to realize the benefits from all of this new data. This article illustrates how a comprehensive data analytics methodology can be used to develop insight into life sciences lab and production data, leading to improved operations. The focus is on sharing lessons learned from recent pharmaceutical case studies to illustrate how to drive innovation through use of a data analytics methodology. These case studies provide detailed, data-driven examples illustrating how to utilize a data analytics methodology to uncover important issues related to pharmaceutical development…

Manufacturing

automation data analysis data analytics methodology software

GMP Production of an Encapsulated Cell Therapy Product: Issues and Considerations

One of the major concerns facing relatively young biotechnology companies once a lead product has been identified is the issue of manufacturing. Usually this involves the upscaling of a lab-scale process while at the same time, complying with good manufacturing practice (GMP) to ensure a reproducibly-produced and consistent product. It also involves the establishment of specific and robust assays in process controls and release criteria. This issue has become more acute in the EU since 2004 due to the EU Clinical Trials Directive requiring GMP-certified production of investigational medical products even for phase I trials. Startup biotech companies are often limited in their finances and resources, as well as being bound by tight milestones. Quite often the expertise in upscaling and GMP-compliant production as well as the facilities and equipment required are not available in-house…

Cell & Gene Therapy Manufacturing

automation contract manufacturing GMP outsourcing quality control scale-up technology transfer

Design of a Biotech Clinical Trial Manufacturing Facility

Key questions for any company planning to build a new facility include processes to be followed for effective design, commissioning, and qualification. Pilot plants need to be flexible, but as flexibility increases, so does complexity and cost. The scope of the new clinical trial pilot plant for bioprocess operations at Eli Lilly and Company (K360) was based on specific technology platforms and extensive benchmarking. Global regulatory issues had to be considered in the design as well because the material it produces will be used worldwide. The K360 plant has the capability to produce mammalian, bacterial, and yeast-based protein and peptide products following typical processes for growth in bioreactors. The protein or peptide of interest is recovered following fermentation and then purified in the facility. The plant’s output is bulk active pharmaceutical ingredient (API)…

Manufacturing

automation bulk active pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturing clinical trials facility design GMP

Automated Cell Production To Support High-Throughput Screening

The search for new and more effective drugs is a complex and challenging endeavor requiring a number of strategies for identifying and processing new drug candidates. A common tool used in this search is high-throughput screening (HTS) of a large library of small molecular weight compounds. In each of our HTS campaigns, more than 500,000 compounds are tested for biological activity against one of our many molecular disease targets in order to identify compounds of potential therapeutic interest. High-throughput screens can be divided into two major types: those using cells, and those not using cells. At least 50% of our screens are cell-based and require a consistent, uniform supply of cells throughout the screening campaign. The provision of the cells is a primary consideration in our cell-based assays and therefore, an automated cell culture laboratory was included in our HTS facility. This laboratory serves two functions: the preparation of cell banks, and the daily provision of microtiter plates containing cells for the HTS…

Biologics Production

assay development automated cell culture automation high-throughput screening microplate production microtiter plates

Rapid Production of Recombinant Proteins Utilizing the PERLXpress Platform

The developing biotechnology community may offer solutions and hope for recent world events that have focused attention on the vulnerability of the world’s population. Concerns about new pandemics have been raised by the emergence of new influenza strains and the re-emergence of older and even more highly virulent strains. In addition, there are fears that bioterrorism could involve agents such as anthrax or smallpox, and these threats become even more of a concern when you consider the increased mobility of such organisms via today’s commercial aviation. The ability of the biomedical community to respond rapidly to these shifting threats is more important than ever…

Baculovirus Expression Technology Biologics Production

automation BEVS insect cell culture protein expression recombinant proteins scale-up

Optimizing Protein Expression: Producing Pure Protein for Structural Biology

Proteins and their promise for revolutionizing drug discovery have come virtually full circle in just a few decades. The advent of genetic engineering and the emergence of early recombinant proteins such as insulin and interferon dramatically boosted the perceived value of proteins in pharmaceutical research and of protein drugs in particular. Although the lights dimmed somewhat on the promise of therapeutic proteins in subsequent years, more recent times have seen a resurgence of interest in proteins, particularly monoclonal antibodies. Perhaps most telling has been the dawn of the post-genomic era, which has cast a bright spotlight on proteins, long respected as the work-horses of the cell, for their usefulness in exploring cell function, unraveling biochemical pathways, understanding disease, and for their massive value as novel drug targets…

Biologics Production

automation optimization protein expression purification recombinant proteins scale-up therapeutic proteins

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