Are there any important new trends in approaches to monitoring and controlling fermentation and cell culture operations?
Hodge: Something Xcellerex has worked on is adding flexibility to how a process can be controlled through customizable spargers and software. A single-use design allows an operator to adjust sparge and mix gases in ways that a fixed-pipe stainaless system could never handle. We are seeing great interest from customers in fine-tuning sparger selection as a strategy to regulate gas control. Jagschies: Monitoring in disposable bioreactors is a current development area, with disposable sensors being discussed widely. Monitoring areas include viability, product concentration, specific nutrients, and infection risks. Mirro: There has recently been a strong push from the FDA to integrate PAT into processes. The intent is to improve uniformity by reducing possible human error and variability. Q: Do you foresee significant growth in markets for this equipment outside the US and Western Europe? If so, where is the market growing the fastest? Hodge: We are seeing great interest in India, Japan, C
