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Novel methodology detects microbial contamination in cell cultures

Researchers from the Essential Analytics for Manufacturing Customized-Drugs (CAMP) interdisciplinary analysis group of the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Analysis and Know-how (SMART), MIT’s analysis enterprise in Singapore, in collaboration with MIT, A*STAR Pores and skin Analysis Labs, and the Nationwide College of Singapore, have developed a novel methodology that may shortly and routinely detect and monitor microbial contamination in cell remedy merchandise (CTPs) early on throughout the manufacturing course of. By measuring ultraviolet mild absorbance of cell tradition fluids and utilizing machine studying to acknowledge mild absorption patterns related to microbial contamination, this preliminary testing methodology goals to scale back the general time taken for sterility testing and, subsequently, the time sufferers want to attend for CTP doses. That is particularly essential the place well timed administration of therapies could be life-saving for terminally sick sufferers.

 

Cell remedy represents a promising new frontier in medication, particularly in treating illnesses akin to cancers, inflammatory illnesses, and continual degenerative issues by manipulating or changing cells to revive operate or battle illness. Nonetheless, a serious problem in CTP manufacturing is shortly and successfully guaranteeing that cells are free from contamination earlier than being administered to sufferers.

 

Current sterility testing strategies, based mostly on microbiological strategies,  are labor-intensive and require as much as 14 days to detect contamination, which may adversely have an effect on critically sick sufferers who want instant therapy. Whereas superior methods akin to fast microbiological strategies (RMMs) can scale back the testing interval to seven days, they nonetheless require advanced processes akin to cell extraction and progress enrichment mediums, and they’re extremely depending on expert employees for procedures akin to pattern extraction, measurement, and evaluation. This creates an pressing want for brand spanking new strategies that provide faster outcomes with out compromising the standard of CTPs, meet the patient-use timeline, and use a easy workflow that doesn’t require extra preparation.

 

 

This methodology provides vital benefits over each conventional sterility exams and RMMs, because it eliminates the necessity for staining of cells to establish labelled organisms, avoids the invasive means of cell extraction, and delivers ends in underneath half-an-hour. It offers an intuitive, fast “sure/no” contamination evaluation, facilitating automation of cell tradition sampling with a easy workflow. Moreover, the developed methodology doesn’t require specialised tools, leading to decrease prices.

 

“This fast, label-free methodology is designed to be a preliminary step within the CTP manufacturing course of as a type of steady security testing, which permits customers to detect contamination early and implement well timed corrective actions, together with using RMMs solely when attainable contamination is detected. This strategy saves prices, optimizes useful resource allocation, and finally accelerates the general manufacturing timeline,” says Shruthi Pandi Chelvam, senior analysis engineer at SMART CAMP and first creator of the paper.

 

“Historically, cell remedy manufacturing is labor-intensive and topic to operator variability. By introducing automation and machine studying, we hope to streamline cell remedy manufacturing and scale back the danger of contamination. Particularly, our methodology helps automated cell tradition sampling at designated intervals to examine for contamination, which reduces handbook duties akin to pattern extraction, measurement, and evaluation. This permits cell cultures to be monitored repeatedly and contamination to be detected at early levels,” says Rajeev Ram, the Clarence J. LeBel Professor in Electrical Engineering and Laptop Science at MIT, a principal investigator at SMART CAMP, and the corresponding creator of the paper.

 

Transferring ahead, future analysis will deal with broadening the appliance of the strategy to embody a wider vary of microbial contaminants, particularly these consultant of present good manufacturing practices environments and beforehand recognized CTP contaminants. Moreover, the mannequin’s robustness could be examined throughout extra cell varieties aside from MSCs. Past cell remedy manufacturing, this methodology can be utilized to the meals and beverage trade as a part of microbial high quality management testing to make sure meals merchandise meet security requirements.

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