Magnetic Resonance Methods Applied to the Study and Development of Cell Cultures and Bioreactors for Biopharmaceutical Production

Abstract

The use of therapeutic proteins is growing, with these accounting for half of the best-selling drugs in 2020. In light of this, the development of new analytical methods to ensure product quality in upstream bioprocessing is important, as well as maximising cell culture productivity. For this, the study of both cell cultures themselves and bioreactors is essential. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) offer advantages over other techniques. One unique advantage is that both techniques do not require the use of optically transparent samples for analysis; this means that potential uses are plenty, with little to no sample preparation required. NMR spectroscopy allows for the study of cell cultures in vivo, from which relevant data can be obtained in real time, as well as other key characteristics of the culture. MRI provides a facile route to the understanding of flow behaviour within operating bioreactors, as well as the ability to see regions of cell growth. In both cases, this information provides valuable insight to continually improve bioprocesses and bioreactors even further.