Getting the Most from Your Bioreactor

BTEC Instructors: Rick Lawless and Henry Lamb, Ph.D.
ISPE Instructor: Richard Schoenfeld, Ph.D.

12-14 May 2008
Advanced Course - ISPE CEUs 1.8

Explore the relationship between bioreactor design and the ability to meet fermentation process limits. Gain an understanding for which design features and control parameters are needed to yield productive fermentation processes that are also reproducible and can be validated. These same criteria are also important when conducting experiments to improve productivity or investigating process failures.

Course topics include: applications of mammalian culture (suspension and anchorage-dependent cells, antibodies, hormones, fusion proteins, and cell or tissue therapy); quantitative analysis of mammalian cell cultures (media requirements, growth kinetics, yield coefficients, specific productivity, and integrated viable cell density); cell culture environment: critical control parameters (effects of T, pH, DO, and pCO2 on growth and productivity and impact on bioreactor control); engineering design of stirred tank bioreactors (CIP and SIP design principles, agitation and fluid mixing, and gas-liquid mass transfer); and scale-up and scale-down of stirred tank bioreactors (scaling strategies: geometric similarity, kLa, mixing time, impeller tip speed, and vvm versus linear velocity).

Hands-on sessions in BTEC facilities provide experience in: insuring sterility by design (bioreactor components, valves, mechanical seals, proper drainage, and eliminate dead legs); single-use bioreactor technology (hands-on experience with wave/rocker-style and stirred tank disposable bioreactors), and bioreactor automation (programmable logic controllers, distributed control systems, PID parameters, cascade control, in-situ probes of cell density, and glucose and metabolites).

Take Back to Your Job

  • Optimizing bioreactor performance (process definition: identifying and tracking critical control parameters, process capability, and process optimization)
  • Pros and cons for bioreactor types and strategies (batch, fed-batch, perfusion, hollow fiber, and fluid bed versus STR) 
  • Advanced bioreactor monitoring and control (respiratory quotient, in-situ near infrared spectroscopy, cell density probes, and automated sampling methods) 
  • Case study solutions for troubleshooting bioreactor problems

Attendance Suggested For

  • Professionals new to the biotechnology industry or entering new work assignments encompassing bioreactor operations, process development, scale-up/scale-down of process design 
  •  Professionals with previous fermentation or cell culture bioreactor experience wanting to learn how to optimize bioreactor performance, consistency and productivity 
  • Professionals working on overall process design, integration, equipment design and maintenance 
  • Technical or management individuals involved in strategic planning efforts or management of operations personnel which include biological production services 
  • Regulatory compliance professionals seeking a more detailed understanding of bioreactor optimization and operation

Schedule

Monday

  • 8.30 - 10.00 Applications of Mammalian Cell Culture: Schoenfeld
  • 10.30 - 12.00 Quantifying Cell Growth and Productivity: Lamb
  • 13.30 - 15.00 Design of Stirred Tank Bioreactors: Schoenfeld
  • 15.30 - 17.00 Insuring Sterility by Design (hands-on): Lawless

Tuesday

  • 8.30 - 10.00 Critical Control Parameters: Schoenfeld
  • 10.30 - 12.00 Scale-up of Stirred Tank Bioreactors: Schoenfeld, Lamb
  • 13.30 - 15.00 Optimizing Bioreactor Performance: Schoenfeld, Lamb
  • 15.30 - 17.00 Single-Use Bioreactor Technology (hands-on): Lamb

Wednesday

  • 8.30 - 10.00 Bioreactor Types and Strategies: Pros and Cons: Schoenfeld
  • 10.30 - 12.00 Advanced Bioreactor Monitoring and Control: Lamb
  • 13.30 - 15.00 Bioreactor Automation Systems (hands-on): Lamb
  • 15.30 - 17.00 Troubleshooting Bioreactor Problems: Schoenfeld, Lamb, Lawless