Chemometrics Methods for Image-Based Monitoring and Control of Industrial Processes and Product Quality

该研究计划的长期目标包括开发新的化学计量学方法和系统工程方法，以减少变异性，改善对加拿大经济重要的工业领域的工艺操作和产品质量。过程化学计量学是指利用多元隐变量统计方法从大型过程数据库和多变量图像中提取相关信息，并利用模型进行过程监测、控制和优化。它们有助于保持国际竞争力，加快工艺开发，并更有效地利用原材料和能源。短期内，研究将集中于开发用于分析过程和产品的高光谱图像的工具，并将这些新传感器集成到两个领域的工程控制系统中：1)生产复杂的聚合物复合材料，2)用于细胞治疗开发的培养系统。为了提高其产品的性价比和环境特征，聚合物加工业正在努力通过加入低成本填料和回收树脂来尽可能取代原始树脂的使用。这些新的但更复杂的材料的生存能力在很大程度上取决于控制成分在成品中分散的能力。这很难使用传统的破坏性和耗时的实验室测试进行实时评估。我们将开发传感器和系统，对这些复杂的聚合物化合物进行实时监测和质量控制。大型细胞培养平台被用于开发更安全、更好的培养液，用于生长治疗性干细胞，并筛选分子以刺激生长，更有针对性地生产所需类型的细胞。使用传统的人工方法同时监测数百到数千个细胞培养物的生长、细胞类型和“健康”是非常耗时的。使用长期大场相差显微镜对活细胞培养进行非侵入性监测的自动化方法将被开发出来，以加速介质和细胞疗法的研究。

The long term goal of this research program consists of developing new chemometrics methods and systems engineering approaches for reducing variability, improving process operation and product quality in industrial areas that are important for the Canadian economy. Process chemometrics means using multivariate latent variable statistical methods for extracting relevant information from large process databases and multivariate images, and using the models for process monitoring, control and optimization. They help maintain international competitiveness, accelerate process development, and make a more efficient use of raw materials and energy. On the short term, the research will concentrate on developing tools for analyzing hyperspectral images of processes and products, and integrating these new sensors in engineering control systems in two areas: 1) production of complex polymer composites, and 2) culture systems for cell therapy development.To improve the performance/cost ratio and environmental signature of their products, the polymer processing industry is striving to replace the use of virgin resins as much as possible by incorporating low costs fillers and recycled resins. The viability of these new but more complex materials rely heavily on the ability to control the dispersion of the components within the finished products. This can hardly be assessed on a real-time basis using conventional destructive and time consuming lab testing. We will develop sensors and systems for real-time monitoring and quality control of these complex polymer composites.Large scale cell culture platforms are used for developing safer and better culture media for growing therapeutic stem cells and screening for molecules to stimulate growth and producing the desired type of cells more specifically. Monitoring growth, cell types and "health" for hundreds to thousands of cell cultures in parallel using the traditional manual approaches is time consuming. Automatic methods for non-intrusive monitoring of live cell cultures using long term large field phase contrast microscopy will be developed for accelerating media and cell therapy research.