A digital microfluidic platform for high yield CHO cell line detection and culture

在这个NSERC联盟提案中，Sartorius Canada、Sanofi Pasteur和多伦多大学的惠勒研究小组提议共同努力，探索数字微流体技术的发展，用于从模型细胞系（中国卵巢癌，或“CHO”细胞）中识别和筛选治疗性蛋白质生产的候选人。我们是一个理想的团队来追求这个项目，因为Sartorius Canada是用于生产治疗性蛋白质的仪器开发的市场领导者，Sanofi Pasteur是世界顶级疫苗生产商之一，而惠勒集团在使用独特的平台自动化细胞培养和分析方面有着悠久的历史，该平台被称为数字微流体（DMF）。我们建议开发新的DMF使能系统，允许优化CHO细胞生产单克隆抗体，重组疫苗蛋白和其他重要的生物产品。这项工作的关键交付成果是一个平台，该平台最终可以作为Sartorius产品的基础，使赛诺菲巴斯德等最终用户能够自动化CHO细胞培养，以识别高性能细胞和/或最佳培养基配方，从而获得最高的蛋白产量，这将提高效率和盈利能力。这一应用代表了最终可能成为加拿大重要故事的开始-在CHO细胞中高效生产蛋白质的数字微流体系统的开发。我们提前感谢NSERC对这一新生努力的潜在支持，这可能会为加拿大人和世界各地的其他人带来重要利益。

In this NSERC Alliance proposal, Sartorius Canada, Sanofi Pasteur, and the Wheeler research group at the University of Toronto propose to work together to explore the development of digital microfluidic technologies for lead candidate identification and screening of therapeutic protein production from a model cell line (Chinese Hamster Ovary, or "CHO" cells). We are an ideal team to pursue this project, as Sartorius Canada is a market leader in the development of instrumentation that is used in the production of therapeutic proteins, Sanofi Pasteur is one of the top vaccine-producers in the world, and the Wheeler group has a long track record in automating cell culture and analysis using the unique platform that is known as digital microfluidics (DMF). We propose to develop new DMF-enabled systems that allow for the optimization of CHO cell production of monoclonal antibodies, recombinant vaccine proteins, and other important bioproducts. The key deliverable of this work is a platform that could eventually serve as the basis for a Sartorius product that will allow end-users such as Sanofi Pasteur to automate CHO cell culture to identify high-performing cells and/or optimal media formulations which lead to the highest protein yield, which will increase efficiency and profitability. This application represents the beginning of what may eventually become an important Canadian story - the development of digital microfluidic systems for efficient protein production in CHO cells. We thank NSERC in advance for potential support of this nascent effort, which could lead to important benefits for Canadians and others around the world.