Focus is on improving biotherapeutic process monitoring and control

908 Devices (Nasdaq: MASS), a pioneer of purpose-built handheld and desktop devices for chemical and biomolecular analysis, is partnering with the Advanced Mammalian Biomanufacturing Innovation Center (AMBIC), an academic-industry research consortium dedicated to implementing bioengineering innovations that enhance the development and manufacture of complex biotherapeutics. As part of this mission, researchers are now utilizing 908 Devices’ REBEL™ analyzer to improve process monitoring and control methods in multiple AMBIC projects.

AMBIC is developing enabling technologies, knowledge, design tools and methods that apply and integrate high-throughput and genome-based technologies to fast track upstream biomanufacturing processes. There are currently 28 active research projects under way at five participating academic institutions including Johns Hopkins University (JHU).

A current AMBIC project focuses on mammalian cell culture control and nutrient utilization optimization by media feeding strategy design and testing via a predictive model. In a paper published in the November 2021 issue of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, JHU researchers developed a genome-scale model to guide CHO (Chinese hamster ovary) cell culture process control by forecasting key process parameters including cell growth and amino acid concentrations. The REBEL desktop device, an at-line cell culture media analyzer, provided reliable and frequent measurements of key nutrients used to build, refine, and validate the model. Researchers found that this forecast-based algorithm accurately predicts the concentration of most essential amino acids through simple cell density measurement, thereby enabling a nutrient minimization approach, lowering nutrient cultivation costs, and limiting accumulation of undesirable metabolic by-products.

“The ability to take more rapid at-line measurements can significantly improve the forecasting capacity of this predictive model approach. The beauty of the REBEL device is that it’s located next to the bioreactor so you can constantly update and improve your model by inputting amino acid levels and receiving results in minutes,” said Mike Betenbaugh, AMBIC Director and Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

Other AMBIC research projects are deriving benefits from the REBEL’s rapid, at-line measurement of more than 30 analytes. In one project, researchers have engineered a more robust CHO cell line and are developing a media feeding structure to grow the cell. The REBEL is enabling at-line measurements of the change in nutrient consumption between the original CHO cell and the engineered CHO cell.

Another research project focuses on media development and optimization for recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) vectors, which are widely used in gene therapy applications. Researchers are developing chemically defined media designed to be more predictable and reliable for cell growth and efficient viral vector production. The REBEL device is being used for frequent measuring and monitoring of the amino acids the cell is consuming, enabling researchers to identify the key nutrients critical for cell growth and AAV production.

About the REBEL analyzer

REBEL is a first-of-its-kind fresh and spent media analyzer that enables biopharma researchers to accelerate process development cycles and maximize bioreactor utilization by running media analysis at-line. Key benefits include:

• Efficiency – minimal sample preparation and tiny volume requirements
• Real-time data tracking – quantitate over 30 key media nutrients in <10 minutes
• Small and simple – versatile design valued by users across many applications

For more information, visit www.908devices.com.

About 908 Devices

908 Devices Inc. (Nasdaq: MASS) is democratizing laboratory mass spectrometry with its simple handheld and desktop devices, addressing critical-to-life applications. The Company’s devices are used at the point-of-need to interrogate unknown and invisible materials and provide quick, actionable answers to directly address some of the most critical problems in life sciences research, bioprocessing, pharma / biopharma, forensics and adjacent markets. The Company is headquartered in the heart of Boston, where it designs and manufactures innovative products that bring together the power of mass spectrometry, microfluidic separations, software automation and machine learning.

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"The beauty of the REBEL device is that it's located next to the bioreactor so you can constantly update and improve your model by inputting amino acid levels and receiving results in minutes."