Automated, large-scale and GMP-compliant cell manufacturing

As the body’s circulating army of first responders, antibodies recognize and destroy foreign and potentially disease-causing pathogens. The engineering of synthetic antibody forms and conjugates has produced a whole new arsenal of tools for applications in research, diagnostics, and therapeutics. Forward-engineering approaches create new recognition sites and molecular functions for antibody products to accurately and efficiently detect previously undetectable molecular targets with an increased response lifetime. For a closer look at the fastest growing class of synthetic therapeutics, The Scientist is bringing together a panel of experts to share their research, discuss the current design and optimization approaches, and to offer insight on the future outlook of antibody engineering. Join us as these experts share best practices and tips for optimally engineered antibodies.

Coordinating PAT between development and manufacturing organizations is always challenging. When there are multiple development sites and numerous manufacturing sites, this becomes especially challenging. In order to help manage this in an efficient manner, we have established a PAT SME network with representation from the Manufacturing and the Development organizations. I will briefly introduce how this team facilitates PAT activities and attempts to add value to both organizations.

Genome-scale CRISPR screens in cancer cell lines have enabled the unprecedented identification of genome-scale vulnerabilities and co-dependencies. However, a significant obstacle in identifying co-dependencies is that the range of genomic features defines the discovery space. Therefore, it is clear that paired perturbations are needed to comprehensively map co-dependencies and establish functional genetic interaction maps.

Interest in 3D cell culture has grown exponentially in recent years, partially due to 3D cultures helping to overcome the challenges of using animal models and inadequacy of 2D cultures. Challenges are still present because of the physical nature of 3D cultures, especially when using confocal microscopy for visualization as a result of limited light penetration through 3D structures. To overcome these limitations, Nano3D Biosciences and MD Anderson together have developed methods and protocols using magnetic 3D bioprinting techniques to successfully overcome such challenges. The results have helped to identify novel approaches to study biology using 3D cell culture and automated confocal imaging of spheroids.