Testa Challenge 2024

The Testa Challenge 2024 bioproduction workflow - specifications

A start to finish bioprocess producing monoclonal antibodies, aimed at generating intermediate materials for antibody drug conjugate (ADC) applications.

Process outline:

Monoclonal antibody (mAb) production in CHO cells through a fed-batch process in a single-use stirred-tank 50L bioreactor

Clarification of CHO culture using depth filtration

Isolation and purification of the produced mAb with an affinity chromatography step followed by an additional polishing step to reduce impurities

The quality of the produced, purified monoclonal antibody (mAb) will be assessed using various analytical techniques

Ventrilabs

Ventrilabs develops microfluidic platforms for high-throughput drug screening and biological analysis.

Their system miniaturizes and automates experiments, enabling rapid testing of thousands of conditions using minimal sample volumes.

This approach accelerates early-stage drug discovery, reduces reagent costs, and increases the efficiency of identifying promising therapeutic candidates.

inSpek

inSpek creates photonic chip-based sensors for real-time, in-line chemical and biological analysis.

Their integrated technology allows continuous monitoring of critical parameters in bioprocessing, reducing the risk of batch failure and increasing process transparency.

This innovation helps manufacturers improve product consistency and accelerate the development of complex biopharmaceuticals.

Timegate

Timegate Instruments offers innovative time-gated Raman spectroscopy solutions for real-time material analysis.

Their patented technology filters out background fluorescence, enabling precise chemical identification even in complex environments.

This allows non-invasive, real-time monitoring in pharmaceutical and industrial processes, improving accuracy, speeding up development, and reducing the need for offline testing.

Exner

EXNER develops robust, in-line optical sensors and sensor housings for liquid analysis in bioprocessing and industrial applications.

Their solutions support real-time measurement of parameters like pH, turbidity, and cell density with high accuracy and low maintenance. Designed for hygienic environments,

EXNER’s products offer reliable performance, simple operation, and easy integration—enabling consistent quality control and optimized process efficiency across pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and environmental industries.

QUBICON

QUBICON offers a real-time monitoring system for cell cultures used in biopharmaceutical production.

Their technology tracks key parameters continuously, providing insights that improve culture health, consistency, and yield.

By enabling earlier detection of issues and more precise process control, QUBICON helps manufacturers produce biologics more efficiently and at higher quality.