Our PAT Lab is full with innovative projects
Process analytics is the ultimate key for bioprocess understanding and control because to fully understand your bioprocess. It is necessary to measure as much process parameters as possible, especially during process development. Couple of years ago, our Process Analytical Technologies laboratory (PAT lab) was established with the goal to create a versatile workspace for bioprocess development that has a wide variety of process analytical technologies installed, in a highly automated and interconnected digitalized environment. The lab might be small in space, but having all the devices connected to our network opens limitless possibilities in terms of measurement and control. Therefore, this lab serves as the hub of our bioprocess model development activities. Here is an overview of the different projects we run in our PAT lab at the moment.
In the project CHASE, one aspect is about optimizing protein refolding processes using digital twins to fine tune process control and thereby protein yield. In this project, data from process analytical devices are fed into a special computing environment that calculates an optimal control path. However, the generally low concentration of protein makes it challenging for process analytics. If you are interested in large data and programming in addition to bioreactors and process analytics, come join us for your leg of the journey in protein refolding!
The well-known organism, Escherichia coli, is also fermented in our PAT lab. In another project inside of CHASE and the INTRAL project, the goal is to move from classical, offline-determined parameters to calculate biomass and product formation for model-based process design and finally directly control production rates. To achieve this, experiments are done for screening of relevant process parameters that are incorporated in the model afterwards. In INTRAL we also use transfer learning tools together with SCCH to be quicker to transfer models between products, equipment, or scales. Come join us for this challenging project and learn about fermentation as well as process modelling and analytics.
Corynebacterium glutamicum is a versatile and robust host organism that is the main interest of the BII EU Horizon 2020 iFermenter project. In this project, waste streams of the paper industry are turned into a value-added product by fermentation. However, optimizing the strains and fermentation parameters to the utilization of industrial waste can lead to challenging scenarios, such as continuous fermentation. With the aid of membranes, cells are separated and kept in the bioreactor while the medium can be exchanged to fresh, sugar-rich substance. The control of the optimal exchange rate is done using infrared spectroscopy and a process model including other online analytics. Participate in this complex work and get an insight of an industrial bioprocess. Apply here
To fully exploit our advanced analytics, we have to know our tools like the back of our hands. This is impossible without in-depth characterization, through a series of experiments. Only after we know the capabilities and limits of our systems we can rely on them during fermentations. Our autosampler-HPLC couple is one of these particular devices that offers unique combination of automated, online measurements but with the precision of offline methods. If you are interested in process analytics as well as interlinked devices and experimental design, this topic is for you. Come, join our team!
As you can see from the examples above, our PAT lab is running at full capacity, producing tons of industrial relevant knowledge and scientific value in the field of bioprocess technology. Come and join to this endeavour and take your piece of the learning process!
