Bioprocessing: 26-Sep-16

Our second class entailed a more detailed understanding of the stages of bioprocessing development; from small scale through to large scale production, mainly focusing on upstream production.

Source: http://img.docstoccdn.com/thumb/orig/125817436.png

We discussed the pros and cons between choosing eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells, revising the differences between the two as we did. The main differences being; prokaryotic cells have No membrane‐bounded nucleus, They are a relatively Simple structure and small in size (<1 μm), compared to eukaryotic cells which have a membrane‐bounded nucleus and are complex structure & larger in size (10 ‐100 μm). Prokaryotic cells are easy to produce and replicate quickly, doubling approximately every 20 mins. They thus require simple media constituents and are also easy to process. Eukaryotic cells on the other hand have a reproduction rate of approximately 24 hrs, requiring complex media constituents. They are More difficult to process also, being more sensitive to pH and Temp. differences, and More fragile as they do not have a cell wall.

Because of this we will choose a prokaryotic cell for our bio-processing project. Currently prokaryotic cells are already in use, so there is a well established method of production. Deviating from this method would incur massive costs when in practice, we could improve upon the existing method and hopefully produce a superior quality product.

Source: http://www.cropenergies.com/en/Bioethanol/Produktionsverfahren/

We also discussed methods of production, separation and purification. Coming into this course my end goal was to complete a PhD in pharmacology as I would love to do early stage drug discovery. This class confirmed my ambitions as early stage bio-processing and drug development would require a PhD. Having identified our host cell, we will now need to consider small scale culturing. The parameters we will need to measure and control are pH, temperature, nutrient media, atmospheric conditions and time.