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Improving biotech production with real-time testing

Marieke Klijn detects changes in biotechnological processes in real-time, with the use of new monitoring techniques. She wants to move biotechnological research away from old-fashioned manual sampling to much more efficient continuous testing: “We can now know at once how many cells are alive during the production process, or how fast they are eating glucose, for example – all without the need to take a sample.” “My research focusses on ways to optimize production processes for biotech companies, by developing methods for continuous testing,” Marieke Klijn, assistant professor at the biotechnology department of the TU Delft, begins. “My team aims to make measurements an automatic part of production processes in biotechnology. I want to integrate sampling directly into the process – real-time testing: that way, we no longer need to rely on time-consuming manual handling in order to know how well the production process is going.” She set up her lab at TU Delft in September 2020. Read more Higher quality and more sustainable Klijn explains that continuous testing will lead to biotechnological products with higher quality and processing efficiency: “Real-time testing improves product quality, because the biotech company has continuous control of the product: the computer can easily detect deviations in the production chain at a much faster pace and change parameters so as to prevent failure, like a loss of product or unhappy cells. Real-time testing is also required if you want to move to continuous manufacturing, which allows companies to reduce their footprint and become more sustainable.” The biopharmaceutical industry is actively searching for more continuous processing setups that can lead to more efficient and affordable production of medicine, such as vaccines or cancer medicine. Klijn: “A continuous process flow already exists in other types of industries, such as the petrol industry. But in the case of biological matter, continuous processing and testing is more difficult: it has more technological, biological and regulatory challenges. You can’t be sure of the result in advance.” Eating habits of cells in real-time “In my lab we have a setup to insert analytical techniques into a bioreactor and extract processing data in real-time,” Klijn explains. “A bioreactor is basically a vessel with nutrients and cells. These cells can produce a specific biotechnological product, for example a food additive or a drug compound, in a highly controlled environment. We would like to monitor different cells to find out how to make these models robust for industrial application: so that when products or cell lines change, the company doesn’t need to go through the whole development phase again.” The main analytical tool that Klijn’s lab uses is Raman spectroscopy: a technique in which laser light is scattered due to molecular vibrations. Each molecule will have a different scattering pattern, making it possible to study all kinds of changes in different molecules in real-time: “With this technique we now know at once how many cells are alive during the production process, or how fast they are eating glucose, for example – all without the need to take a sample. The combination of this analytical technique and machine learning makes it possible to look at many different parameters at the same time.” The main analytical tool that Marieke Klijn uses is Raman spectroscopy, a technique in which laser light is scattered due to molecular vibrations. Blurry lines The biotechnological industry already makes use of Raman spectroscopy: they show a lot of interest in the models that the team can build for the process control systems. “We would like to capture as much information as feasible. For example, in addition to Raman spectroscopy, we want to use real-time imaging data to tell us how the cells are changing during the process of glucose eating.” The sheer amount of data this entails presents a challenge in itself, Klijn says: “Our dilemma here is how to effectively use the huge amount of information that we acquire.” How has this new focus on improvements during bio-production influenced the research field? “Before I started this work, each specialist would focus on their own part of the manufacturing process. Now the lines are blurry and they all work together. This makes the work very diverse. I can combine implementation of data analytical tools, with how the cell works and bioprocess engineering solutions. I work with experts from many different fields on the upstream part of processing, such as cell cultivation, and the downstream part such as modellers: all to make the production process into one single continuous flow.” Dr. ir. Marieke Klijn Assistant Professor +31 15 27 81280 m.e.klijn@tudelft.nl Room C0.550 Building 58 Van der Maasweg 9 2629 HZ Delft linkedin More stories

The Academic Fringe Festival - Aaron Halfaker: Designing to Learn - Aligning Design Thinking and Data Science to Build Intelligent Tools That Evolve

The Academic Fringe Festival - Aaron Halfaker: Designing to Learn - Aligning Design Thinking and Data Science to Build Intelligent Tools That Evolve 04 April 2022 17:00 till 18:00 - Location: Online by Aaron Halfaker | Microsoft Research Abstract “Design to learn" is a collaborative approach to developing intelligent systems that leverage the complementary capabilities of designers and data scientists. Data scientists develop algorithms that work despite the noisy, messy realities of human behavior patterns, and designers develop techniques that reduce noise by aligning interactions closely with how users think about their work. In this talk, I'll describe a set of shared concepts and processes that are intended to help designers and data scientists communicate effectively throughout the development process. This approach is being applied and refined within various product contexts in Microsoft including email triage, meeting recap, time management, and Q&A routing. Speaker Biography Aaron Halfaker is a principal applied research scientist working in the Office of Applied Research in Microsoft’s Experiences and Devices organization. He is also a Senior Scientist at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Halfaker’s research explores the intersection of productive information work and the application of advanced technologies (AI) to support productivity. In his systems building research, he’s worn many hats from full stack engineer, ethnographer, engineering manager, UX designer, community manager, and research scientist. He’s most notable for building an open infrastructure for machine learning in Wikipedia called ORES. His research and systems engineering have been features in the tech media including Wired, MIT Tech Review, BBC Technology, The Register, and Netzpolitik among others. Dr. Halfaker reviews and coordinates for top-tier journals in the social computing and human center-AI space including ACM CHI, ACM GROUP, ACM CSCW, Transactions on Social Computing, WWW, and JASIST. Homepage: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/people/ahalfaker/ . More information In this second edition on the topic of "Responsible Use of Data", we take a multi-disciplinary view and explore further lessons learned from success stories and examples in which the irresponsible use of data can create and foster inequality and inequity, perpetuate bias and prejudice, or produce unlawful or unethical outcomes. Our aim is to discuss and draw certain guidelines to make the use of data a responsible practice. Join us To receive announcements of upcoming presentations and events organized by TAFF and get the Zoom link to join the presentations, join our mailing list . TAFF-WIS Delft Visit the website of The Academic Fringe Festival

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How storm surge barriers can keep the Netherlands safe and liveable

A safe and liveable delta, who doesn't go for that? Storm surge barriers play a crucial role in this. Yet there are many choices to be made in the short term to keep the storm surge barriers in a good condition, to eventually cope with rising sea levels in the longer term. A new project receives funding from NWO for five years to explore the best routes to a liveable delta. Storm surge barriers, like the Maeslantkering and the Oosterscheldekering are essential for protecting the Netherlands from high water coming in from the sea. How long will these imposing structures remain effective bearing in mind sea level rise, decay of the structures and an altering surrounding area. In the short term, decisions will have to be taken on maintenance, while in the longer term, adaptation or replacement should be considered. Linking storm surge barriers with the delta Within the SSB-Δ (storm surge barrier delta) project, a diverse consortium will investigate under what circumstances storm surge barriers can keep the Netherlands safe and liveable. The consortium consists of the universities of Delft, Utrecht, and Rotterdam; the universities of applied sciences of Rotterdam and Zeeland; knowledge institutes Deltares and TNO, as well as Rijkswaterstaat, water boards and companies. Bram van Prooijen, associate professor at TU Delft, will lead the research: “Decisions on flood defences are important for the entire delta. The link between the hinterland and the flood defences needs to be made properly. During this project, we will have the opportunity to bring different areas of expertise together and strengthen each other.” Long term perspective Therefore, the research is not only about the technical lifespan of the barriers. It will also clarify how the delta is going to change and how society thinks about it, resulting in a guideline to on how and when decisions need to be taken in the short term, with a long term perspective. Van Prooijen cites an example of car maintenance: “Think of replacing the engine block. This is very expensive maintenance, but sometimes necessary to keep the car running safely. But is it worth the investment if you plan to buy a new car next year? Or if you prefer to travel by train? Important choices will have to be made for storm surge barriers. We want to provide a strong basis for that.” Informed decisions The project will reveal the possible pathways to a liveable delta, and how storm surge barriers fit into that. Van Prooijen: “That offers clarity, to make quick and better-informed decisions. Many trials run for a long time, with the outcome of this research we can decide which trials specifically are the best option to proceed with.” Future experts One of the storm surge barriers involved in the research is the Maeslantkering. This barrier is expected to last another fifty years or so. That may seem far away, Van Prooijen reasons, “but we need to train the experts who will decide on this now. Those are probably the PhD students on this project.”

Researchers hand over Position Paper to Tweede Kamer

On behalf of the TU Delft PowerWeb Institute, researchers Kenneth Brunninx and Simon Tindemans are handing over a Position Paper to the Dutch Parliament on 14 November 2024, with a possible solution to the major grid capacity problems that are increasingly cropping up in the Netherlands. The Netherlands is unlikely to meet the 2030 climate targets, and one of the reasons for this is that large industry cannot switch to electricity fast enough, partly because of increasingly frequent problems around grid capacity and grid congestion. In all likelihood, those problems will actually increase this decade before they can decrease, the researchers argue. The solution offered by the TU Delft PowerWeb Institute researchers is the ‘flexible backstop’. With a flexible backstop, the current capacity of the power grid can be used more efficiently without sacrificing safety or reliability. A flexible backstop is a safety mechanism that automatically and quickly reduces the amount of electricity that an electric unit can draw from the grid (an electric charging station or a heat pump) or deliver (a PV installation). It is a small device connected or built into an electrical unit, such as a charging station or heat pump, that ‘communicates’ with the distribution network operator. In case of extreme stress on the network, the network operator sends a signal to the device to limit the amount of power. Germany recently introduced a similar system with electric charging stations. The backstop would be activated only in periods of acute congestion problems and could help prevent the last resort measure, which is cutting off electricity to users. ‘Upgrading the electricity network remains essential, but in practice it will take years. So there is a need for short-term solutions that can be integrated into long-term planning. We, the members of the TU Delft PowerWeb Institute, call on the government, network operators and regulator to explore the flexible backstop as an additional grid security measure,’ they said. The entire Paper can be read here . Kenneth Brunninx Associate Professor at the Faculty of Engineering, Governance and Management, where he uses quantitative models to evaluate energy policy and market design with the aim of reducing CO2 emissions. Simon Tindemans is Associate Professor in the Intelligent Electrical Power Grids group at Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science. His research interests include uncertainty and risk management for power grids. TU Delft PowerWeb Institute is a community of researchers who are investigating how to make renewable energy systems reliable, future proof and accessible to everyone.