The Automation Partnership (cambridge) Limited

Tap Biosystems (phc) Limited

The Automation Partnership Ltd.

Adrian James Stacey

Christian Grimm

Adrian Neil Bargh

Thomas Regen

Marek Hoehse

Jochen Scholz

Sean Kenneth Sullivan

Angus Woodhams

Neil Bargh

Edmund Grace

Stuart Tindal

Daren Huttlestone

Charlie Daniels

A computer-implemented method for spectroscopic analysis of biological material is provided that includes analyzing samples of biological material from a plurality of sources, and delivering samples of biological material to at least one flow cell for spectroscopy, and determining whether the spectroscopic analysis for each sample of the plurality of samples is or is predicted to be ambiguous in that it is affected by at least two non-discriminable factors. If such a determination is made, a disambiguating step can be performed.

Computer-implemented method and system for spectroscopic analysis of biological material

An auto-aligning cable sensor for performing measurements on a medium contained in a vessel is provided. The cable sensor includes a cable which has an end sensor and which is adapted to be carried by a mounting fixture. The mounting fixture and the vessel are movable into a measurement position relative to each other such that a contact face of the end sensor is held in alignment against a surface of the vessel by a pressing force, thereby enabling the end sensor to sense a characteristic of the medium contained in the vessel. The cable sensor further includes an elastically deformable coupling member which is arranged to mediate transfer of the pressing force from the mounting fixture to the cable and thence to the end sensor when the mounting fixture and the vessel are moved into the measurement position. The coupling member deforms under the pressing force such that the cable can flex to tilt the end sensor relative to the surface of the vessel to accommodate misalignment of the contact face and the surface of the vessel.

Auto-aligning cable sensor

The present application generally pertains to scaling of a production process to produce a chemical, pharmaceutical and/or biotechnological product and/or of a production state of a respective production equipment. Particularly, there is provided a computer-implemented method of scaling a production process to produce a chemical, pharmaceutical and/or biotechnological product, the scaling being from a source scale to a target scale, wherein the production process is defined by a plurality of steps specified by one or more process parameters controlling an execution of the production process, the method comprising: (a) retrieving: parameter evolution information that describes the time evolution of the process parameter(s); a plurality of recipe templates, wherein a recipe comprises the plurality of steps defining the production process, and wherein a recipe template is a recipe in which at least one of the process parameters specifying the plurality of steps is a parameter being variable and having no predetermined value at the outset; (b) receiving: a source setup specification of a source setup to be used for executing the production process at the source scale, the source setup specification comprising the source scale value; a target setup specification of a target setup to be used for executing the production process at the target scale, the target setup specification comprising the target scale value; a source recipe defining the production process at the source scale; at least one acceptability function defining conditions for the values of the process parameter(s) at the source scale and/or at the target scale; (c) simulating the execution of the production process at the source scale using the source setup specification, the source recipe and the parameter evolution information; (d) determining, from the simulation, one or more source trajectories for the process parameter(s), wherein a trajectory corresponds to a time-based profile of values recordable during the simulated execution of the production process; (e) performing a target determination step comprising: selecting a recipe template pertinent to the production process out of the plurality of recipe templates; providing an input value for the at least one variable parameter in the selected recipe template; simulating the execution of the production process at the target scale using the target setup specification, the selected recipe template, the input value for the at least one variable parameter and the parameter evolution information; determining, from the simulation, one or more target trajectories for the process parameters; comparing the source trajectory(ies) and the target trajectory(ies); computing, based on the comparison and on the at least one acceptability function, an acceptability score for the selected recipe template; computing an optimal value for the at least one variable parameter in the selected recipe template by optimising the acceptability score and/or computing an acceptable range for the at least one variable parameter, wherein values within the acceptable range yield an acceptability score above a specific threshold; (f) if there is at least another pertinent recipe template, repeating the target determination step for at least another pertinent recipe template; (g) selecting at least one of the plurality of recipe templates and corresponding computed value(s) for variable parameter(s) as target recipe based on the acceptability scores computed for one or more recipe templates.

Scaling tool

The present application generally pertains to scaling of a production process to produce a chemical, pharmaceutical and/or biotechnological product and/or of a production state of a respective production equipment. Particularly, there is provided a computer-implemented method of scaling a production process to produce a chemical, pharmaceutical and/or biotechnological product, the scaling being from a source scale to a target scale, wherein the production process is defined by a plurality of steps specified by one or more process parameters controlling an execution of the production process, the method comprising: (a) retrieving: parameter evolution information that describes the time evolution of the process parameter(s); a plurality of recipe templates, wherein a recipe comprises the plurality of steps defining the production process, and wherein a recipe template is a recipe in which at least one of the process parameters specifying the plurality of steps is a parameter being variable and having no predetermined value at the outset; (b) receiving: a source setup specification of a source setup to be used for executing the production process at the source scale, the source setup specification comprising the source scale value: a target setup specification of a target setup to be used for executing the production process at the target scale, the target setup specification comprising the target scale value; a source recipe defining the production process at the source scale: at least one acceptability function defining conditions for the values of the process parameter(s) at the source scale and/or at the target scale; (c) simulating the execution of the production process at the source scale using the source setup specification, the source recipe and the parameter evolution information: (d) determining, from the simulation, one or more source trajectories for the process parameters), wherein a trajectory corresponds to a time-based profile of values recordable during the simulated execution of the production process; (e) performing a target determination step comprising: selecting a recipe template pertinent to the production process out of the plurality of recipe templates; providing an input value for the at least one variable parameter in the selected recipe template; simulating the execution of the production process at the target scale using the target setup specification, the selected recipe template, the input value for the at least one variable parameter and the parameter evolution information; determining, from the simulation, one or more target trajectories for the process parameters; comparing the source trajectory(ies) and the target trajectory(ies); computing, based on the comparison and on the at least one acceptability function, an acceptability score for the selected recipe template; computing an optimal value for the at least one variable parameter in the selected recipe template by optimising the acceptability score and/or computing an acceptable range for the at least one variable parameter, wherein values within the acceptable range yield an acceptability score above a specific threshold; (f) if there is at least another pertinent recipe template, repeating the target determination step for at least another pertinent recipe template; (g) selecting at least one of the plurality of recipe templates and corresponding computed value(s) for variable parameters) as target recipe based on the acceptability scores computed for one or more recipe templates.

Described is an automated transport unit for use in a laboratory environment the automated transport unit comprising a drive mechanism for moving the automated transport unit, a control system for controlling operation of the automated transport unit, a power supply for powering the automated transport unit, and a storage compartment configured to hold a material obtained from a fluid storage vessel and/or to be delivered to a fluid storage vessel. Also described is a system comprising an automated transport unit and a fluid storage vessel.

Automated transport unit and system

A bioreactor consumable unit () comprises a bioreactor part (); a fluid feed container part () integrally connected with the bioreactor part and including at least one fluid feed container () in fluid communication with the bioreactor (); and an integral pumping element () configured to enable fluid to flow from the at least one fluid feed container () to the bioreactor (). The bioreactor part () includes a bioreactor chamber () and a stirrer () for agitation of a cell culture () in the chamber. The pumping element comprises a combination of a syringe pump () and an associated three-way valve (). The bioreactor consumable unit () may be inserted into a receiving station () of a cell culture module () for the processing and control of a bioreaction in the bioreactor chamber (). The provision of the fluid feed containers () and the pumping element () as integral parts of the bioreactor consumable unit () facilitates the set-up of the processing, because the various fluid connections between those components are already established. The syringe pump () provides accurate dispensing of fluids to the bioreactor chamber ().

Growing community of inventors

Cambridge, United Kingdom

Adrian James Stacey