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Biomanufacturing Devices

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Innovating Biomanufacturing of the Future

The Biomanufacturing Devices group innovates solutions for continuous biomanufacturing and the data-driven future. We leverage on microfluidic, sensor and automation technologies to achieve a smaller footprint by eliminating holding steps or GMP space requirements, as well as to enable enclosed sampling, real-time analysis and adaptive control. We can accelerate the process development feedback loop between biological characterisation and product or bioprocess designs, enabling future ready, high throughput bioprocessing research. Our team hopes to develop a microfluidic toolbox with a multitude of microfluidic tools, that can provide industrial level functionality at the laboratory scale. We also hope to deliver a wide-ranging impact in biologics, cell/gene therapy manufacturing as well as medtech/healthtech research.


Focus Areas

  • Clog-free Perfusion Filter Systems to reduce cost of goods (CoGs) for cell culture-based products and cell manufacturing
  • Microfluidic innovations which accelerate upstream process development in continuous biomanufacturing
  • Flexible, feedback-controlled microfluidics-enabled automation for in-line or at-line process analytical technologies and predictive analytics towards Industry 4.0
  • Future-ready data solutions for biomanufacturing
  • Microfluidic toolbox and customised solutions for speeding up feedback loop between biological characterisation and product or bioprocess design


Our Capabilities

Clog-free Perfusion Filter Systems

Clog-free Perfusion Filter Systems

  • Provide expertise and insights into bioprocessing, microfluidic phenomena, and various engineering disciplines
  • Knowledge in developing perfusion filters which enable clog-free, high throughput operations and removal of dead cells

Integrated Solutions for Future Biomanufacturing

Integrated Solutions for Future Biomanufacturing

  • Accumulated multi-disciplinary knowhow for the development of cross-cutting engineering solutions
  • Integrated solutions for automated microfluidic sampling, in-line or at-line monitoring and real-time data analytics, with adaptive control to ensure critical process parameters (CPPs)

Our Technologies

Membrane-free Microfilter

Zero Clogging High Density Cell Filter – uVisflo

Our proprietary in-house cell retention filter, uVisflo, overcomes the problem of biofouling and clogging that often occurs in traditional membrane-based filters, especially for high density cultures used in biomanufacturing. Our membrane-free  technology has the has the following capabilities:

  • Clog-free – No biofouling.
  • Ultra-high density – Up to 100 million cells/mL.
  • Enhances viability – Increase viability by 5% of bioreactor for every filtration operation.


Integrated Microfluidic Modules

Tube-free Microfluidic Switchboards

We have combined several microfluidic components with programmable digital pneumatics, to achieve precise switching and controlled fluidic flows. These microfluidic switchboards can be further equipped with novel biosensors, creating a fully integrated platform for continuous processing. The integrated platform offers the following advantages:

  • Minimal sample volumes and tube-free operations.
  • High throughput and programmability.
  • Miniaturization of multiple lab scale functionalities into microfluidic devices.
  • High precision switching, control and sensitivity.
  • Real-time data monitoring to ensure critical process parameters (CPPs) for in-process learning and automated online processes.
  • Integrated microfluidic modules for functional versatility, diversity and optimal adaptive control.


OUR TRACK RECORD

Featured Publications

  • An Eng Lim and Shireen Goh (2023) Effect of Microchannel Diameter on Electroosmotic Flow Hysteresis. Energies 16(5): 2154
  • Danielle S. Tan and Shireen Goh (2016) A Numerical Model of Microfluidic Inertial Separation. In Proceedings of the 20th Australasian Fluid Mechanics Conference, AFMC 2016
  • Shireen Goh, Shan Mei Tan, Danielle S. Tan, Yuan Sheng Yang (2016) New phenomenon: Outer wall focusing at high cell densities enables high performance cell microfilter at low shear stress. 20th International Conference on Miniaturized Systems for Chemistry and Life Sciences, C.
  • Gajendra P. Singh, Shireen Goh, Michelangelo Canzoneri and Rajeev J. Ram (2015) Raman spectroscopy of complex defined media: biopharmaceutical applications. Journal of Raman Spectroscopy 46(6): 545-550
  • Wee Yang Ng, Shireen Goh, Yee Cheong Lam, Chun Yang and Isabel Rodríguez (2009) DC-biased AC-electroosmotic and AC-electrothermal flow mixing in microchannels. Lab On A Chip 9: 802-809
  • Sheng Shen, Arvind Narayanaswamy, Shireen Goh and Gang Chen (2008) Thermal conductance of bimaterial microcantilevers. Applied Physics Letters 92: 063509
  • Saikat Ghosh, Amar R. Bhagwat, C. Kyle Renshaw, Shireen Goh, Alexander L. Gaeta, and Brian J. Kirby (2006) Low-Light-Level Optical Interactions with Rubidium Vapor in a Photonic Band-Gap Fiber. Physical Review Letters 97: 023603

 

LANDMARK PATENT & IP:

  • Small Volume Bioreactors with Substantially Constant Working Volumes and Associated Systems and Methods (2020)
  • Apparatus for outer wall focusing for high volume fraction particle microfiltration and method for manufacture thereof (2018)
  • Control of Carbon Dioxide Levels and pH in Small Volume Reactors (2014)
  • Humidity Control in Chemical Reactors (2014)

The Team

Shireen_Goh

Dr Shireen Goh

shireen_goh@bti.a-star.edu.sg
Senior Principal Scientist I

PhD in Materials Science and Engineering (2013), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA

Research Focus / Interest

  • Bioprocess characterization and monitoring
  • Micro-bioreactor for upstream process development
Charmaine Chia

Dr Charmaine Chia

charmaine_chia@bti.a-star.edu.sg
Senior Scientist I

PhD in Electrical Engineering (2019), Stanford University, USA

Research Focus / Interest

  • Bioreactor operation and modeling
  • Bioprocessing device and system design
  • Engineering for high throughput synthetic biology experimentation
  • Data analytics and machine learning
Lim An Eng

Dr Lim An Eng

lim_an_eng@bti.a-star.edu.sg
Scientist

PhD in Mechanical Engineering (2018), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

Research Focus / Interest

  • Micro-/nanofluidics
  • Micro-/nanofabrication
  • Electrokinectics
  • Multiphase flow for chemical analysis
  • Nanomaterials engineering for DNA analysis
  • Automatic aseptic sampling for bioreactors
Sitaram Gupta

Dr Sitaram Gupta Vangeti

sitaram_gupta_vangeti@bti.a-star.edu.sg
Scientist

PhD in Biomedical Engineering (2022), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, India

Research Focus / Interest

  • Microfabrication
  • Biomedical device development
  • MEMS technology
  • Electronic system design
  • Development of automation systems for bioprocess applications

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