Affordable Bioreactor Helps Prep Students for Biomanufacturing Careers
A bioreactor designed to test biosensors that measure multiple parameters in real time is being developed as a simple, budget-friendly bioreactor for high schools and colleges to help prepare the biomanufacturing workforce of the future. The post Affordable Bioreactor Helps Prep Students for Biomanufacturing Careers appeared first on GEN - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News .
The Future of Biomanufacturing Workforce Faces a Skill Gap
Today's students lack the hands-on experience necessary to succeed in biomanufacturing careers due to the high cost of advanced equipment like bioreactors in schools and colleges. To bridge this gap, BioMADE, Novonesis, and Iowa State University (ISU) have developed a budget-friendly bioreactor that can be produced by students themselves for roughly $200.
This educational kit, dubbed the BioReactor Educational Activity Kit (BREAK), aims to make biomanufacturing a core part of the curriculum, similar to typing and drafting from the past.
Professor Nigel Reuel of ISU and CTO of the NSF RuralSTAMINA Biomanufacturing Engine alliance envisions BREAK as an integral educational tool, fostering creativity and curiosity among students. Co-developed with Julie Gonzalez, PhD, the biotechnology program chair at Des Moines Area Community College, the kit will include labs and curriculum, initially distributed through the NSF RuralSTAMINA Biomanufacturing Engine coalition.
BREAK stems from Reuel's sensor and AI control development, which employs substrate-wrapped single-walled carbon nanotube-based photoluminescent probes in a circulating flow cell system. His recent research demonstrates how agitation accelerates reactions, making them difficult to measure in static microplates. By building an array of low-cost reactors, Reuel can scale the system for machine learning, thus reducing the need for multiple bioreactors.
Novonesis is responsible for developing the bioreactor for student use, ensuring it is easily replicable and cost-effective using common components rather than bespoke technology. While not as powerful as a million-dollar bioreactor, BREAK measures key indicators like enzyme activity and cell concentration in real-time, enabling faster optimization of the culture in minutes instead of weeks or months.
The next steps involve designing a wireless control system to manage basic parameters such as temperature, mix speed, and feed, and linking the operating system to pilot-scale reactors before creating a kit for high schools and community colleges. Novonesis is also exploring ways to make the basic bioreactor industrially relevant for the biotechnology industry, with the goal of increasing output and profits through machine learning control systems.
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