Using big data and computational methods in bioprocessing
June 11th, University of Kent, Canterbury
9.30am (registration), 10am–5.00pm
The continuing advances in computational methods and the greater use of high throughput omics approaches has increased the potential for greater application of these methods in bioprocessing. This workshop will focus on a number of main areas including: 1) antibody design, 2) use of genetic variation when analysing CHO cells for biologics production 3) protein modelling to investigate properties such as aggregation and binding of host cell impurities to biologics.
Confirmed speakers include Charlotte Deane, University of Oxford, Mark Wass, University of Kent and Nicole Borth, Universität für Bodenkultur, Vienna, Austria.
For more details contact Mark Wass
To register: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/BioProNET_BigData
Travel: If you are coming by train via London, then Canterbury is less than one hour from London St Pancras. More travel details here https://www.kent.ac.uk/locations/canterbury/directions.html

The promise of genome editing: changing bioprocessing, manufacture and much more
18th June, Bradfield Centre, Cambridge Science Park, 11am–4pm
Confirmed speakers include Nicola McCarthy, Horizon Discovery; Mark Fife, Pirbright Institute; Lorenz Mayr, GE Healthcare and Claus Kristensen, University of Copenhagen.
Evolution is so ‘yesterday’ as we enter the revolution offered by genome editing. You may find this opinion provocative but if the cellular systems we have are not good enough for the functions needed, why should we not just build new ones by changing the genetic makeup of the cell, So far, so good… the promise remains but what is the reality of this hope? In this workshop we are bringing together expert opinion leaders from academia and industry to examine the likelihood of the expectations being translated to outcomes. Via short expert presentations and focused group discussions, the participants will examine how the potential of genome editing to change the manufacture of bio-based products may be enhanced and the practical consequences of such interventions from a commercial perspective.

Registration link and more information: http://app1.horizondiscovery.com/biopronet-2018-event-application

Bioprocess Intensification
July 4th, University College London 9.30am–5.30pm
The continued growth of the biopharmaceutical industry is being challenged by a greater number and variety of products than in the past. The industry is also increasingly concerned with the affordability of these products. These key factors means process intensification has become a critical objective. The goal is higher productivity processes to enable small process trains, resulting in cost-effective, lean, and agile manufacturing facilities. The symposium assembles 8 leaders from the biopharmaceutical industry and academia (Line Lundsberg-Nielsen (NNE), Hani El-Sabbahy (3M/UCL), Ajoy Velayudhan (UCL) Peter Levison (Pall), Will Lewis (GSK), Jonathan Souquet (Merck KGaA), John Welsh (Pall) Suzy Farid (UCL)) who will present their latest findings and opinions on the subject. By bringing together scientists and engineers from academia and industry who are actively engaged in bioprocess intensification the event will provide forum for lively debate.

Registration here: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/BioProNET_BioprocessIntensification
The programme is available here
Directions: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/maps/jz-young-lt

BioProNET has recently awarded six indistrial biotecnology seeding catalyst awards (IBSCA). This funding aims to develop and progress ideas and technology within the scope and remit of BioProNET and the call along the technology readiness level (TRL) pathway.

Pilot production of engineered nucleases with applications in molecular biology and diagnostic devices
Jon Sayers, University of Sheffield

Optimization of influenza vaccine manufacturing through inhibition of autophagy
Jeremy Rossman, University of Kent

Improved microfluidic devices for downstream bioprocess separation of sub-micron targets
Alan Goddard, Aston University

Learning from charge interactions in nature to understand poly-anion/cation complementarity in drug encapsulation
Jim Warwicker, University of Manchester

Engineering secretory capacity in S. cerevisiae strains to improve recombinant protein production yield
Campbell Gourley, University of Kent

Enhancing secretory pathway function to allow selection of host cell clones
Lisa Swanton, University of Manchester

Establishing a prototype process for manufacturing non‐therapeutic biologics expressed in plants for the R&D market
Anil Day, University of Manchester

Photo taken by Linas Tamosaitis 

Some feedback from our 4th Annual Science meeting, held in October 2017:
“The meeting was one of the most interesting and educational that I have attended in a while!”

“Excellent chances to meet and build links with the community”

“I really appreciated the diversity of the speaker, e.g. male versus female, experienced verses ECR, academic versus industry”

Our 4th Annual Science Meeting featured the following line-up:

Designing more efficient cell-expression systems (chaired by Paula Alves)
Helene Faustrup Kildegaard – Technical University of Denmark: Improving CHO cell factories with CRISPR-mediated genome engineering
Eva Pekle – University of Kent: Single cell characterisation of CHO cells
Imre Berger – University of Bristol: Baculovirus expression: old dog, new tricks
David Humphreys – UCB: Protein expression demands and demanding protein expressions: protein sciences the biopharma way
Stefanie Frank – University College London: Engineering spatial segregation within bacterial hosts for bio-therapeutic protein production
Karen Coopman – Loughborough University: Taking a holistic approach to mesenchymal stem cell culture process design
Robyn Emmins – GlaxoSmithKline: Embedding the Berkeley Lights Beacon: a bright future for cell line development

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Congratulations to the awardees of funding in our most recent call for business interaction vouchers and proof of concept funding:

Proof of concept funding:
Improved preservation of biologics by continuous intensified lyophilisation
Gary Montague, Teeside University; Lonza, Glythera, Accelyo
This project proposes to perform experimental trials of model biologics using laboratory-scale continuous intensified lyophilisation, a technology that uses intensified controlled rate freezing followed by continuous sublimation, to investigate whether this improves activity.

Investigating the effects of hydrodynamic force on the structure and biological integrity of a viral vector gene therapy product
David Brockwell, University of Leeds; Cobra Biologics
Here we aim to find whether a device we developed — that can identify ‘bioprocessible’ protein therapeutics and to optimize buffer conditions — can also inform gene therapy viral vector development or as an analytical tool to differentiate between vectors with empty or full payloads.

Top-down mass spectrometry methods for full characterisation of biopharmaceuticals
Perdita Barran, University of Manchester; Covance
Our aim is to characterize the primary sequence, to locate and analyse PTMs and to assess the three-dimensional structure and extent of aggregation of biopharmaceuticals as quickly as possible using direct mass analysis of native proteins directly from crude cell lysates, without any prior purification.

Business interaction vouchers:
Comparing the productivity of three cell-free extracts based on industrial cell lines
Karen Polizzi, Imperial College London; Lonza
It is unclear how much variability there is between cell-free systems produced from different cell lines. This project aims to compare cell-free systems made from three industrial cell lines to understand how much their protein production capabilities vary.

Scale up of vaccine production in a microalgal host for animal trials
Saul Purton, University College London; MicrosynbiotiX
We will examine the pilot scale production, harvesting and recovery of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii biomass that has been engineered to express a vaccine against a major fish pathogen, with the goal of producing sufficient dried algal material for formulation into fish-feed and use in challenge trials.

Click here for a list of all the proof of concept funding and busines interaction vouchers that we’ve awarded.