Author Archives: Tony Allman

In today’s world, bioprocess software solutions are an essential tool for modern laboratories. Bioprocesses are controlled using process data and optimized with the help of mathematical models based on the gathered data. Manual experiment planning and data documentation cannot keep up with this in the long term. Inefficiency, duplication of work, a lack of planning and poor or inconsistent data quality can have devastating consequences. If you want to have the quality, cost, and time-to-market of your products under control, it is essential to consistently digitize your bioprocesses – starting with the preculture in the incubator shaker.

Setting up a bioreactor is not as easy as it sometimes sounds. Which sensors do I have to calibrate before autoclaving? Is it important to protect the filters with foil from water condensate in the autoclave? These are only some questions which arise when preparing a bioreactor for its next cultivation run. This blog post will guide you through the assembly of a bioreactor step by step and provide practical help for successfully starting a bioprocess.

A bioreactor provides an ideal environment where cells can focus on what they are supposed to do: proliferate. Like lab workers, cells can only produce consistently good work if the conditions are right: it should not be too hot or too cold, and they have to have enough nutritous food and fresh air. In terms of a bioreactor, this means maintaining pH, temperature, ensuring sufficient gas supply and, depending on how the instrument has been configured, adding nutrients for successful maintenance of growth.

Supply of a substrate is a must for any bioprocess, even if it is just mineral salts, light and CO₂ for algae. Usually, it is in the form of a sugar, which is either provided just at the start of a process or added over time. The choice of which method to use will depend on the organism, application and final goal.

Optimizing of a bioprocess for protein production is more complex than for simple increase in biomass. Over-production of biomass and normal cell metabolism may limit the amount of cellular resources directed towards making the protein of interest. This short overview lists some of the key points to take into consideration for the best yield of proteins.

Bioreactor manufacturers and users make massive efforts to create a culture environment free from contamination. Despite all this work, sometimes things go wrong. This blog post will cover some of the key reasons for contamination getting in and how to deal with it quickly.