Euroscicon, Cineworld: The O2, Peninsula Square, London SE10 0DX, United Kingdom
2013-11-26
Day 1: 26th November 2013 - Bioprocess miniaturization: Development and optimisation 9:00 – 9:45 Registration 9:45 – 10:00 Introduction by the Chair: Professor. Chris Lowe, Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge, UK 10:00 – 10:30 Confinement phenomenon based bio-process intensification using monolithic microreactors Professor Galip Akay, School of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials, Newcastle University, UK Bio-Process intensification, B-PI (by a factor of 5-200 fold compared with batch processing) is achievable using monolithic microreactors with well defined physical and biochemical structure of pores used as support for bacteria or cells. This enhancement is due to 'confinement phenomenon' in which the behaviour of microorganisms is dependent on their confining environment. Recent examples of B-PI pioneered at Newcastle University include fermentation, antibiotics and enzyme production as well as tissue engineering and Agri-Process Intensification through bacterial nitrogen fixation by plants. Mechanism of B-PI will be discussed. 10:30 - 11:00 Microfluidic BioLector – A new microbioreactor platform with continuous pH-control and substrate feeding Dr. Frank Kensy and Dr. Christian Hetzel, m2p-labs GmbH/Inc., Germany/USA Today bioprocess development is mainly performed in lab-scale stirred tank bioreactors due to controlled process conditions provided by these reactors. Even if several microbioreactor concepts have been established so far in industry to fulfill the demand of high-throughput and ease of use, these technologies are mainly applied in clone screening and media development due to the lack of pH-control and feeding. Therefore, m2p-labs amplified the spectrum of their microbioreactor technology, BioLector®, towards pH-control and continuous feeding options. A user-friendly, disposable microfluidic bioreactor system was created that allows scalable, fully monitored and fully controlled fermentations at micro-scale. 11:00 – 11:30 Speakers’ photo then mid-morning break and poster exhibition and trade show 11:30 – 12:00 Lyophilised Biopharmaceticals- Looking at Cake Properties Dr Daryl R Williams, Director of Development, Discovery Space and Reader in Particle Science, Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College, UK An innovative method for the mechanical testing of freeze-dried biopharmaceutical cakes in situ vials has been developed. This simple and quick compression test allows a range of cake mechanical properties to be assessed quantitatively. It can be readily applied to fragile and moisture sensitive freeze-dried cakes within the vials. Freeze dried mannitol, sucrose and trehalose samples all yielded linear compressive elastic behavior for small strains with Young's Moduli of 25, 120 and 170 kPa respectively. This method discriminates readily between the three excipients reported here and can be used to optimise formulation of biopharmaceutical systems. 12:00 – 12:30 Oral Presentations: 12:30 – 13:30 Lunch, poster exhibition and trade show 13:30 – 14:30 Discussion session 14:30 – 15:00 ambr™ and ambr250™: advanced tools for automated optimization and process development in both microbial and cell cultures for application in biotherapeutics and industrial biotechnology Mr Mwai Ngibuini, Bioprocess product specialist, TAP Biosystems, UK Exploration of a large number of cell lines or microbial strain candidates, as well as developing optimal process pathways requires the application DOE analysis with a suitable power number. Traditionally these campaigns require large laboratory space, and are both costly and labour intensive. TAP Biosystems has developed the advanced microbioreactor (ambr™) that is widely adopted as a rapid cell line selection and early stage cell culture optimization tool. As well as, the ambr250™, a tool that is being used for microbial strain selection, process optimization and late stage cell culture optimization. Here we present a technology overview and industry derived data. 15:00 – 15:30 Afternoon Tea, last poster session and trade show 15:30 – 16:00 Introducing: micro-Matrix, the next generation in microbioreactors . Mr Martijn Kreukniet, Product Manager, Applikon Biotechnology, UK Applikon biotechnology specializes in development, manufacturing and marketing of bioreactor systems from production scale to laboratory scale. What are the trends and the challenges in the market when scaling down, what are the currently available solutions and where do we see the new developments take us? What is the current volume limit of the commercial small-scale bioreactors and why. Applikon offers systems down to 200 microliter volume. When scaling down to this volume the main process parameters should be maintained. Oxygen supply, mixing, nutrient supply are just a few parameters but also sample volume for proper analysis is important. Time to setup an experiment is another factor that will determine the success of a small-scale system. When a successful mini or micro bioreactor is developed and operational, the next challenge is to cope with the large amount of process data that will be generated by these systems. How can we make it easier to define multiple experiments and to interpret the experimental data. This presentation will aim to give an overview of the bioreactor market in general with a focus on the scale down market. 16:00 – 16:30 Dr Martina Micheletti, The Advanced Centre for Biochemical Engineering, University College London, UK 16:30 - 17:00 Chairman’s summing up Day 2: 27th November 2013 - Recovery and purification of biosynthetic products: Downstream processing for the 21st century 9:15 – 10:00 Registration 10:00 – 10:15 Introduction by the Chair: Professor Colin R. Harwood, Centre for Bacterial Cell Biology, Institute for Cell & Molecular Biosciences, Newcastle University, UK
10:15 – 10:55 Fitting non-platform processes into platform timelines
Dr Alison Tang, Associate Scientist II, MedImmune Ltd, Cambridge, UK
As therapeutic proteins become more complex, the purification challenge increases; in addition, the time allocated for process development reduces due to an ever expanding portfolio. To alleviate the problem, high throughput process development and automation was implemented. In the meeting the challenges and process development tools will be discussed.
10:55 – 11:20 Speakers’ photo then mid-morning break and poster exhibition and trade show 11:20 – 12:00 Semi-selective protein precipitation using salt-tolerant copolymers for industrial purification of therapeutic antibodies
Mr Florian Capito, Institute for Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Germany
Semi-selective precipitation employing customized salt-tolerant ionic copolymers was evaluated as antibody (mAb) purification step. Precipitated mAb was easily re-dissolved in small volume, enabling concentrating mAb up to hundred-fold, while residual polymer could be removed to > 98 %. mAb recovery of > 90 % and host cell protein clearance of > 80 % were achieved, not requiring any pre-dilution of the cell culture fluid. Precipitation showed no impact on mAb binding affinity. Compared to protein A based purification, yield and purity were lower; yet for high titer processes already being implemented, precipitation is more cost-effective and easier to scale.
12:00 – 13:00 Lunch, poster exhibition and trade show 13:00 – 14:00 Discussion session 14:00 – 14:40 Liquid-liquid Extraction of Biomolecules; have they a role to play in current bioprocessing strategies?
Dr Jonathan Huddleston, Consultant Biochemical Engineer, Advanced Bioprocessing Centre, Brunel University, UK
Liquid liquid extraction of biomolecules has periodically been promoted as an alternative to packed bed chromatography in downstream processing. The nature and properties of aqueous biphasic extraction systems will be discussed and their potential for application in the downstream recovery of bioproducts will be assessed. Potential applications in biomolecular analysis will also be briefly considered.
14:40 – 15:20 Afternoon Tea, last poster session and trade show
15:20 – 16:00 Bacillus protein secretion, an aid to downstream processing
Professor Colin R. Harwood, Centre for Bacterial Cell Biology, Institute for Cell & Molecular Biosciences, Newcastle University, UK
Bacillus species are prolific secretor of proteins that are directed into the culture medium. The main secretion pathway, the Sec translocase, requires targeted secretory proteins to be in a translocation competent, substantially unfolded, state. Consequently, secretory proteins must fold as they emerge on the trans side of the membrane. While this has the advantage of facilitating their folding into their native and therefore functional configuration, it adds an element of vulnerability to proteins that intrinsically fold slowly. Approaches to address this issue and improve the yield of proteins in the culture medium will be discussed.
16:00 – 16:30 Chairman’s Summing Up and Close of Meeting
Day 3: 28th November 2013 - New procedures and innovations for analytical development of Biopharmaceuticals Day 4: 29th November 2013 - Applications for Synthetic Biology in Industrial Biotechnology 9:00 – 9:25 Registration 9:25 – 9:30 Introduction by the Chair: Professor Robert Edwards, Chief Scientist, The Food and Environment Research Agency
9:30 – 10:00 Talk title to be confirmed Professor John Ward, University College London, United Kingdom
10:00 – 10:30 Cultured cambial meristematic cells as a source of plant natural products
Professor Gary Loake, The University of Edinburgh, Scotland A plethora of important, chemically diverse natural products are derived from plants. In principle, plant cell culture offers an attractive option for producing many of these compounds. However, it is often not commercially viable because of difficulties associated with culturing dedifferentiated plant cells (DDCs) on an industrial scale. To bypass the dedifferentiation step, we isolated and cultured innately undifferentiated cambial meristematic cells (CMCs). Using a combination of deep sequencing technologies, we identified marker genes and transcriptional programs consistent with a stem cell identity. This notion was further supported by the morphology of CMCs, their hypersensitivity to γ-irradiation and radiomimetic drugs and their ability to differentiate at high frequency. Suspension culture of CMCs derived from Taxus cuspidata, the source of the key anticancer drug, paclitaxel (Taxol), circumvented obstacles routinely associated with the commercial growth of DDCs. These cells may provide a cost-effective and environmentally friendly platform for sustainable production of a variety of important plant natural products.
10:30 – 10:55 Speakers’ photo then mid-morning break and trade show
10:55– 11:00 Introduction by the Chair: Professor Ian Graham, CNAP Director and Weston Chair of Biochemical Genetics, University of York, United Kingdom
11:00 – 11:30 Engineering flavonoid metabolism in yeast
Professor Robert Edwards , Chief Scientist, The Food and Environment Research Agency
Phenylpropanoids are simple aromatic natural products found in all plants which are used as the building blocks for a wide range of polyphenols including a diverse array of flavonoids with activities as diverse as dietary cytoprotectants, colourants and flavourenhancers. Using polyprotein technology we have engineered bakers’ yeast to transform readily available phenylpropanoids left over from brewing and biofuel production into high value flavonoids, including glycosylated derivatives with uses as artificial sweeteners. The approach adopted shows the value of effectively transferring plant metabolic pathways into non-natural hosts to extend the diversity of end products which can be generated in useful quantities.
11:30 – 12:00 Metabolic engineering of high value lipids in transgenic plants
Professor Johnathan Napier, Rothamsted Research Limited, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom
Using genetic engineering it is now possible to generate transgenic plants which have the capacity to synthesise high value fatty acids such as the omega-3 long chain polyunsaturates.
12:00 – 12:30 Lunch and trade show
12:30– 14:30 High Value Chemicals from Plants Network Meeting
14:30 – 15:00 Engineering polyphenols in tomatoes
Professor Cathie Martin, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, UK
15:00 - 15:25 Afternoon Tea/Coffee and trade show
15:25 – 15:30 Introduction by the Chair: Professor Gary Loake, The University of Edinburgh, Scotland
15:30 – 16:00 A ten gene cluster responsible for synthesis of the anticancer alkaloid noscapine in opium poppy Professor Ian Graham, CNAP Director and Weston Chair of Biochemical Genetics, University of York, United Kingdom Noscapine is an antitumor alkaloid from opium poppy that binds tubulin, arrests metaphase and induces apoptosis in dividing human cells. We recently discovered a cluster of 10 genes encoding five distinct enzyme classes that are responsible for noscapine production in poppy (Winzer et al., Science, 2012). Virus induced gene silencing resulted in accumulation of pathway intermediates allowing a novel biosynthetic pathway to be proposed. This advance adds to our knowledge of gene clusters in plants and will enable improvement in commercial production of noscapine and related bioactive molecules.
16:00 - 16:30 Genome mining and metabolic engineering for triterpene synthesis
Professor Anne Osbourn, Associate Research Director, John Innes Centre Plants produce a huge array of natural products, many of which are specialised metabolites associated with particular species. These secondary metabolites often have important ecological functions. Although the ability of plants to perform in vivocombinatorial chemistry by mixing, matching and evolving the genes required for different secondary metabolite biosynthetic pathways is likely to have been critical for survival and diversification of the Plant Kingdom we know very little about the mechanisms underpinning this process. This talk will focus on plant natural product function and synthesis, the origins of metabolic diversity and potential for metabolic engineering, drawing on our research on triterpene synthesis in crop and model plants. Triterpenes have important ecological and agronomic functions, contributing to pest and pathogen resistance and to food quality in crop plants. They also have a wide range of commercial applications in the food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical sectors.
16:30 – 17:00 Chairmen’s summing up
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