Project Description

Viral epidemics and pandemics require rapid development and manufacturing of vaccines to limit the spread of the disease and minimize loss of life. Rapid production of vaccines requires standardized processes for controlling the quality of the product. Current methods for determining the formation of attenuated live viruses and virus-like particles (for example, lipid nanoparticles and adenoviruses) are limited because they cannot provide information in real time. Process analytical technology (PAT) aims to improve biomanufacturing by providing real-time information about the product and thus potentially enabling real-time release. This project will develop new methods for continuous in-process monitoring of virus particles and establish the basis for a standardized detection method.

Start Date

May 2022

Postdoctoral Qualifications

Must have a PhD in one of the following or related fields: biological engineering, biomedical engineering, chemical engineering, microbiology, health sciences, industrial engineering, analytical chemistry. Must demonstrate excellent communication skills, in the form of published papers and conference presentations. Prior experience with biosensors is desirable.

Co-Advisors

Mohit Verma
Assistant Professor, Nanotechnology Preeminent team
Birck Nanotechnology Center
Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering
Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering
msverma@purdue.edu
www.vermalab.com

Arezoo Ardekani
Associate Professor
School of Mechanical Engineering
ardekani@purdue.edu
https://web.ics.purdue.edu/~ardekani/

Bibliography

Maruthamuthu, M. K., Raffiee, A. H. , De Oliveira, D. M., Dor Ben-Amotz, Ardekani, A. M., Verma, M. S. “Raman spectra-based deep learning – A tool to identify microbial contamination in the pharmaceutical industry”, Microbiology Open, 9 (11), e1122 (2020).
Maruthamuthu, M. K., Rudge, S. R., Ardekani, A. M., Ladisch, M. R. and Verma, M. S., “Process Analytical Technologies and Data Analytics for Manufacture of Monoclonal Antibodies” Trends in Biotechnology, 38 (10), 1169-1186, (2020).
Gronemeyer, P., Ditz, R. & Strube, J. Trends in Upstream and Downstream Process Development for Antibody Manufacturing. Bioeng. Basel Switz. 1, 188–212 (2014).
Yazdi, S.H., Ardekani, A.M. Bacterial aggregation and biofilm formation in a vortical flow. Biomicrofluidics, 6, 044114 (2012).
Verma, M. S. et al. Sliding-strip microfluidic device enables ELISA on paper. Biosens. Bioelectron. 99, 77–84 (2018).