Analytical µ-Platform for Automated Cell Factory Screening

Strain and process improvement is one of the most labour-intensive and time-consuming phases of biotechnology process development. High-throughput screening is usually in miniaturized static cultures which compromises scalability, so that further intermediate screening steps are needed. Maturing of existing technology to deal with additional cell culture types (i.e. mammalian cells) and incorporate further analytical developments to support metabolite and product screening requirements are identified as the key steps to creating a technology of commercial value. In this project, we propose to mature an existing µ-screening platform with two major pillars addressing these steps. Firstly, extending the applicability of the module to fermentation technology based on Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cultures. Secondly, to expand the analytical value of the platform using a combination of valve technology and mass spectrometry to develop a fully integrated platform suitable for application in biotechnology facilities.