Bio-Manufacturing Processes for Plant, Animal and Microbial Derived Bioproducts
Consultancy in manufacturing bio-products for healthcare, food, materials and energy using plant, animal and microbial feedstocks
In addition to the major pharmaceutical and healthcare applications for bioprocessing, there are a whole host of applications for products of use in nutrition, materials and energy. Some of these are being rediscovered as the cost of oil derived chemicals and materials and energy continues to increase. These materials are sourced from plant, animal and microbes and can range in costs from $1/Kg to $1,000/g. They include plant and algae polymers, amino acids, vitamins, oils and biofuels. Finally, there are a whole range of biotransformations using whole microbes or isolated enzymes are used in the manufacture of many complex organic chemicals, particularly those containing chiral centres to cellulases used for the low cost sources of biofuel. As a consultant I can offer my clients advise on when to use bioprocesses as opposed to synthetic chemistry, the importance of costing in evaluation of options, as well as knowledge of the process development, manufacturing, safety and quality control (QC) requirements.
My Experience
Over many years of experience with a wide range of business activities, I have been involved in the development of bioprocesses for producing bio-molecules for use in pharmaceutical, food, agriculture, materials and bio-energy industries from animal, plant and microbial sources.
Natural Product, Biochemical and Biotransformation Expertise:
- Development of bioprocesses and/or biotransformations for the manufacture of biochemicals and natural products for healthcare, food, materials and energy
- Evaluation of process scale up, fermentation, up-stream and down stream processing from cell culture
- Evaluation of process scale up, up-stream and down stream processing for extraction and purification from natural sources such as plants and algae
- Methods and options for titre improvements through cell line development or finding higher yielding alternative natural sources or the use of genetic manipulation (GM) in plants and microbes
- Product specifications, GMP manufacture and QC compliance
- Analytical methods for the detection and isolation of bioproducts components and their structure elucidation
- Independent assessment of outsourcing opportunities to contract research organisations (CROs) and toll manufacturers for all aspects of development and manufacture
- Work with technical staff on experimental design and data interpretation
- Viability of process such as cost-of-goods estimates, cost of manufacture and freedom to operate issues for products with cost ranging from $1/Kg to $1,000/g
- In-licensing / out-licensing opportunities for protein products and in-process technology
Contact me to see how my consultancy can help you find economic and successful bioprocesses for manufacturing bioproducts from plant, animal and microbial feedstocks for health, nutrition, materials and energy.
Case Studies
Plant Cell Culture for Natural Products
An agricultural company based in Belgium wanted me to assess if a plant cell culture could be used to produce pharmaceutically-important small molecule natural products. My extensive knowledge of bio-manufacturing and the key role played by natural products as medicines meant that I was quickly able to review the potential of this technology. As a result I was able to advise them that this technology would be of very limited use.
A Belgian university spin-out company wished to produce a plant-derived biopolymer that showed potential for the stimulation of ‘good’ gut bacteria. The biopolymer also showed potential for the treatment of inflammatory bowl disease. My task was to provide an evaluation of the product specifications, the current regulatory requirements needed to provide claims for efficacy, and the cost of clinical trials to support the nutraceutical vs. drug label claims. I was greatly helped in this task by the use of my network of regulatory and clinical trials contract research organisations. The results of my consultancy were integrated into the business plan for use in acquiring the next stage of funding.
A UK charity connected with Kew Gardens wanted to produce a map of all the uses that industry makes of genetic resources. Their initial focus was on the use of natural products in the pharmaceutical industry, so my role in natural products drug discovery programs put me in a good position to offer them advice. Furthermore, with my broad background in bioprocessing and biotechnology, I was able to expand their vision to include natural products used as pesticides for agriculture, biocatalysts for fine chemical manufacture, and the wide range of bio-indicators exploited by the analytical industry. I was also able to indicate the importance of these resources for making genetically modified organisms, and that these would be of use not only for food, but also for fibre and fuel production.
An agricultural company based in Belgium wanted me to assess if a plant cell culture could be used to produce pharmaceutically-important small molecule natural products ....more>
A Belgian university spin-out company wished to produce a plant-derived biopolymer that showed potential for the stimulation of ‘good’ gut bacteria ....more>
A UK charity connected with Kew Gardens wanted to produce a map of all the uses that industry makes of genetic resources. Their initial focus was on the use of natural products in the pharmaceutical industry ....more>