Presented at ESACT 2022, held June 26-29, in Portugal.

High Throughput Process Intensification with a 2 mL Continuous Perfusion Bioreactor

Abstract: Upstream process intensification is mainstream in biopharma R&D labs and clinical programs. Higher productivity provides significant business advantages, whether achieved through seed train, N-1 perfusion, or production reactors as perfusion or perfused harvest. However, the ability to scale down these processes has been limited due to the lack of appropriate equipment. Typically, labs cannot run enough bench-scale 2L bioreactors with cell retention devices due to resource constraints such as skilled labor and lab space, and high throughput systems lack the required perfusion or control capabilities. The Breez is a new microbioreactor that fills this throughput-performance gap by providing closed, single-use perfusion bioreactors with 2mL working volume that can replicate bench-scale perfusion processes at industrially relevant cell densities. The high performance in a small form factor was possible due to novel bubble-free gas transfer and microfluidic technologies that directly integrate pumps, valves, and sensors into the consumable, reducing operational complexity and improving reliability.