An increasing number of products are being produced using bioprocessing methods. From fuel to food to pharmaceuticals, utilizing biological cells to produce items is more commonplace than most people realize.
In most production schemes, cells secrete product into the growth media and must be separated from the media as the first step to obtaining purified product for analysis. This task becomes particularly challenging when the volume of material drawn for analysis and the corresponding sample flow rate become very small. The Seeker is looking for innovative technologies to remove cells from solution for either a discrete packet of 50-500 microliters or a continuous flow of 50-600 microliters per minute.
Image credit: BruceBlaus/Wikipedia/CC BY-SA 4.0
This is a Reduction-to-Practice Challenge (RTP) that requires written documentation, experimental proof-of-concept data, and video evidence of operation. In lieu of a full RTP solution, the Seeker may make a partial award to a Theoretical solution.
Overview
Heterogeneous solutions containing cellular material such as mammalian cells, yeast, and/or bacteria may originate in bioprocess streams or be the result of contamination. In either case it is important to be able to remove the cells and cellular material from the solution without losing solution volume.
This can be quite complicated when dealing with high cell densities (>100×106 cells/cc) and very low solution volumes and/or flow rates. Under these conditions, the cellular material can plug narrow tubing and clog filters leading to the inability to sample the solution properly.
The Seeker is interested in innovative new technologies that can remove cells and cellular material such as mammalian cells, yeast, bacteria, organelles, and cell membrane material while still allowing proteins and small molecules to pass. Solutions to this Challenge should work in two situations – handling a discrete packet of fluid 50-500 µL in volume, and a continuous stream of fluid flowing at 50-600 µL/min.
Submissions to this Challenge must be received by 11:59 PM (US Eastern Time) on 20-Jun-2022.
Source: InnoCentive