No one questions the technology-driven nature of bioprocessing. At the contract manufacturing organization FinVector in Kuopio, Finland, for example, Kassim Kolia, head of business development, points out that viral processing is poised to make the most of many new technologies, from artificial intelligence and process analytical technology (PAT) to plasmids and the Internet-of-Things technologies. But there’s more to bioprocessing than tools.
As Kolia says about this industry, new technologies “play a major role, but what is key to processing are the scientists at the bench and GMP level who have the relevant experience and know-how to expertly utilize these tools.”
Even with added automation and seemingly every vendor labeling new platforms as “easy to use,” it takes a team of experts to produce bio-based therapies. Maybe more and more of the technologies and products will evolve into single-use methods, but the industry can only move ahead when companies invest in the best personnel for long-term relationships. These scientists contribute to batch after batch of bioproducts, as well as the evolution of new methods. These scientists, though, should share one feature in common with single-use technology: flexibility.
As bioprocessors seek accelerated methods, as described in a recent GEN article, leaders should keep in mind that speed is only useful when quality comes along with it, which requires experts of all sorts. As Kolia puts it: “Just like in cooking, if you try to be faster, you will always over cook or under cook!”