Upstream Process Intensification

PRODUCTION VIA STABLE CELL POOLS

Building on lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, this strand aims to improve non-clonal CHO cell pool platforms for faster production of protein antigens and antibodies.

By developing high cell density processes and hybrid culture strategies, the team seeks to boost yield and maintain product quality.

Advanced metabolic profiling, machine learning models, and collaborations with industry partners will support real-time process control and intensification, pushing CHO-based biomanufacturing to new levels of efficiency.

PRODUCTION VIA TRANSIENT GENE EXPRESSION

Transient gene expression (TGE) is a key technology for producing biologics quickly, especially in urgent contexts like pandemics. While polyethylenimine (PEI) is commonly used for gene delivery, its toxicity and scalability issues limit its effectiveness.

In collaboration with Feldan Therapeutics and Alterna, this strand will develop new peptide-based transfection methods and serum-free media optimized for large-scale TGE in CHO and HEK293 cells.

Using model biologics, the team will refine transfection strategies and feeding regimes to improve yield and compatibility with GMP manufacturing.

PRODUCTION VIA FERMENTATION

To meet growing demands for biologics, especially during pandemics, this research strand explores continuous and repetitive fed-batch (RFB) strategies to intensify plasmid DNA (pDNA) production in E. coli and B. subtilis.

These approaches aim to reduce downtime and increase yields in smaller facilities. Through metabolic, transcriptomic, and proteomic analyses, the team will identify key factors affecting productivity and develop optimized feeding strategies.

Collaborations with NRC, Glycovax, and Biovectra will support the development of scalable, cost-efficient biomanufacturing processes.