‘Bio’facturing innovation
…and vaccines and medicines
Biology is growing the world for and with humans. However, with our demands growing from bread and beer to biomaterials, taking the promise of biotechnology from benchtop to bedside has been an uphill challenge. Since organisms exhibit complex cascades of interactions with their peers and environment, scaling-up multiplies these complexities and more often than not introduces new factors to take care of. Additionally, many environmental parameters such as-oxygen delivery, agitation rate etc. are still largely difficult to scale. A successful scale-up by definition is predictable and economically favourable. Manufacturing with biotechnology (a.k.a. bio-manufacturing) has faced issues since 6000 years. The situation hasn’t improved much thanks to a litany of modern tech-transfer issues and regulatory roadblocks. However, in the last few years, the demand for COVID-19 vaccines and other biologics has substantially fuelled the global need for easy-to-use bioreactors. A bioreactor is a vessel in which a chemical process is carried out which involves organisms or biochemically active substances derived from such organisms. Used heavily in industrial processes to produce pharmaceuticals, vaccines, or antibodies, bioreactors have been the subject of innovation for open-source enthusiasts. Enter, Open-source Hardware!
Hardware for all
The world of Open-source Hardware is very wide and full of possibilities. For the uninitiated, a piece of Open Hardware has its source files and technical specifications shared freely and openly, also allowing copying and modification. It’s not about reinventing the wheel, anyone can improve and build upon the ideas of those around them! While, Mozilla Firefox, WordPress, VLC media player are wonders of Open Software, creation of interactive electronic objects has been possible due to Arduino- an Open-source Hardware prototyping platform. Open Hardware has been the lesser-prominent brother of Open Software, largely due to the lack of expertise and the steep learning curve involved in developing open source hardware design makes it more intimidating and exclusive for many. Nonetheless, because of its growth-oriented core values, open source technology has been prioritized by the United Nations to be used as a test bed for co-creating new solutions to global challenges.
What if everyone could manufacture enzymes at a fraction of the cost and time?
Creating solutions like the vaccines or diagnostic tests for COVID-19 required reagents, made cheaply and in copious amounts, which is where bioreactors come in. The only way to produce reagents of quality in usable quantities is to use a bioreactor however the commercial ones cost tens of thousands of dollars. The solution: open-source bioreactors! With a background in computer science, molecular biology and engineering, Adrian Filips heads a group of bio enthusiasts at the Ottawa Bio Science Group. They’re working hard to develop a cheap alternative to commercial bioreactors that would cost less than € 200. What sets apart PRGM Bioreactor- the one developed by the Ottawa Bio Science Group- is its versatility. Besides production of bacteria, it allows production of yeast, insect cells and even mammalian cells required for production of antibodies, viral vectors or complex proteins. Set with a temperature sensor, a pH sensor and a light sensor for growth (optical density) measurement, the PRGM Bioreactor is reusable unlike many of its commercial counterparts.
When I asked Adrian as to what attracted him to bioreactors, he replied, “ Reagents are hard to get by and are extremely expensive, I wanted to find a simple, systematic and professional way to enable experiments.” His DIYBio Group convened regularly at the local library, before the pandemic shut libraries down. Not only could they not hold in-person meetings, the group faced major challenges for their project because of the global disruption in supply of manufacturing equipment during the pandemic. Things started changing for the better when Adrian found out about the Open COVID-19 Initiative hosted on the JOGL Platform that supported open-source and low-cost tools and methodologies in response to the ongoing pandemic.
“Winning JOGL’s Microgrant attracted an amazing number of enthusiastic altruistic volunteers to our project.” — Adrian Filips
Alongside they also managed to develop an IP infrastructure for their Open Hardware project.
“The microgrant was one of the best things!”
He added that although the grant money wasn’t enough to cover this ambitious project’s entire expenses, it was certainly a definitive support and encouragement for the enthusiastic people at Ottawa Bio Science.
Adrian and his team dream to establish their bioreactor around the world- in at least 20–30 places in countries with poor access. Adrian added JOGL’s international openness and enthusiasm encouraged him and his group further along their progress. The work by Ottawa Bio Science Club is not limited to WAVE Bioreactors, they have also developed open-source Optical density readers, inoculating loops and transilluminators!- all part of the essential toolbox of a biologist. They plan to also make open-source PCR machines, incubators, pipettors and much more. To learn more and support their work, visit: http://specyal.com/diybio/index.html. Like Adrian’s, many other open-source hardware projects in biotechnology have helped the democratization of technology and place powerful capabilities and the freedom to innovate, in hands of people to ‘bio’facture the future.
Interested in contributing to the project, or to learn more? Don’t miss our next JOGL event at https://www.meetup.com/JustOneGiantLab/
Attributions:
Banner Image: https://flickr.com/photos/zeissmicro/8641941699/
