Cell Culture Scale-Up Data Collection for Shear and Nutrient Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

The existing scale-up methods for cell culture processes face challenges in maintaining productivity and quality due to the inability to account for parameters specific to scale-up, leading to unexpected issues during the transition from laboratory to large-scale production.

Innovation Solution

A culture scale-up culture data collection device and method that evaluates both first and second explanatory variables, including parameters specific to scale-up, to optimize culture conditions and prevent unexpected problems by incorporating a cell number control unit, nutrient component concentration control, shear force control, and waste product concentration control.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If traditional scale-up methods are used to maintain geometric similarity and constant power per unit liquid volume, then stirring conditions can be maintained, but it is difficult to satisfy all scale-up items simultaneously and productivity and quality may be compromised

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemaintenance of culture qualityVSAvoidcomplexity of scale-up conditions
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the approach from maintaining geometric similarity to maintaining specific parameter relationships. It introduces the concept of maintaining constant power per unit liquid volume and specific shear force ranges, allowing flexible adjustment of other parameters like tank dimensions and stirring speeds while ensuring critical culture conditions are met.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent focuses on maintaining only the most critical scale-up items (power per unit liquid volume, shear force range) rather than all geometric similarities simultaneously. This partial action approach allows practical scale-up while ensuring productivity and quality are maintained.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

2Reliability

If culture experiments are performed again in large scale to collect data for scale-up, then scale-up can be performed, but the period required for construction of production process becomes long

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaccuracy of scale-upVSAvoidtime for data collection
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary data collection and process optimization in small-scale culture experiments before large-scale production. By collecting and analyzing data from small-scale experiments, the critical parameters (power per unit liquid volume, shear force) are determined in advance, allowing direct progression to large-scale production without time-consuming re-experiments.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses small-scale culture experiments as simplified copies of the large-scale production process. By optimizing the process in these smaller representative systems first, the same optimization can be applied to the large-scale system, eliminating the need for separate large-scale experimentation for data collection.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

3Adaptability or versatility

If the range of culture performance is set wide on small scale, then culture can be performed, but the range is often narrowed in large scale due to unevaluated factors

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveculture performance rangeVSAvoidculture performance consistency
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements feedback by measuring actual culture performance parameters (productivity, quality, cell density, metabolite concentrations) in small-scale experiments and using this information to adjust and refine the scale-up conditions. This iterative feedback process ensures that the culture performance range maintained in small scale translates reliably to large scale.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces mechanical geometric similarity constraints with physiological parameter maintenance. Instead of focusing on mechanical aspects like tank geometry and stirring speed ratios, it focuses on maintaining physiological conditions (power per unit liquid volume, shear force range, temperature, pH) that directly affect culture performance, thereby maintaining adaptability across scales.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentEP4692298A1Culture data collection device for culture scale-up and culture data collection method for culture scale-up
Publication Date: 2026.02.11 HITACHI PLANT SERVICES
  • EP4692298A1 patent drawingFigure 1A~1B
  • EP4692298A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4692298A1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The invention provides a culture scale-up culture data collection device and a culture scale-up culture data collection method that can prevent unexpected problems in productivity and quality after scale-up. The invention provides a culture scale-up culture data collection device (1) for searching for a scale-up condition of a cell culture device. The device has a first function related to a first explanatory variable associated with the cell culture device after scale-up, and a second function related to a second explanatory variable, which correlates with an objective variable but is not associated with the cell culture device after the scale-up. Both the first function and the second function are optimized for the objective variable.