Key technology for bioprocesses

Advances in biopharmaceutical research require continuous development of the technical infrastructure. Efficient and precise separation of cells from culture supernatants is a crucial step in biotechnological processes. In order to meet these challenges, the Center for Pharmaceutical Process Engineering (PVZ) at the Technical University of Braunschweig is expanding its biotechnology center with a state-of-the-art disk stack separator from machine and plant manufacturer and solution provider GEA. By supplying the device, GEA is supporting biopharmaceutical research at the PVZ. A Pathfinder with a throughput capacity of up to 200 l/h will be used. The Pathfinder is specially designed for applications in biopharmaceutical pilot plants and will also open up new paths in bioprocess engineering here.

Research work at TU Braunschweig's PVZ is important for the further development of modern medicine and pharmaceuticals

The PVZ is an interdisciplinary research center in which around 100 scientists from the fields of process engineering, biotechnology, pharmacy and other natural and engineering sciences work together. The aim is to develop and optimize manufacturing processes for innovative biopharmaceutical products that can be individually tailored to patients. A major focus of the Pharmaceutical-Biological Process Technology department at the PVZ is on biotechnological processes that are used in the production of active ingredients such as therapeutic proteins, antibodies for immunotherapy, enzymes for industrial biocatalysis and the biotechnological production of new antibiotics. These processes are essential for modern medicine and the pharmaceutical industry.

GEA homogenizer PANDA already successfully in use at PVZ

Some time ago, GEA supplied the PVZ with a PANDA PLUS high-pressure homogenizer. The PANDA is particularly suitable for the high-pressure processing of nanoparticles and cell disruption. The homogenizer has a touch panel for easy control of all machine functions and is suitable for cleaning-in-place (CIP) and sterilization-in-place (SIP) procedures. Its compact design makes it easy to install, use and maintain.

With the addition of the Pathfinder plate separator from GEA to the biotechnology center, the PVZ is now able to carry out the entire value chain of a biotechnological process on a pilot scale, from pre-culture and cultivation through to cell separation and purification of active ingredients. This enables cultivation with bioreactors of up to 100 liters and efficient cell separation. The GEA Pathfinder is available in three drum sizes with a throughput capacity of 15 to 300 liters per hour. It achieves a very high separation performance thanks to up to 20,000-fold acceleration due to gravity and can therefore continuously separate even fine particles and cell fragments from cultivation media. The separator is equipped with a hydrohermetic product feed and the gentle feed system prevents shear forces from acting on the product when it is fed into the separator bowl. Thanks to its self-cleaning bowl, the unit is suitable for fully automatic CIP. The GEA Pathfinder is also equipped with a package of basic Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) certificates. This complete package enables fast, scalable and reproducible process control, which is crucial for the development of tomorrow's biopharmaceutical products.

Strategic cooperation with GEA - major industrial projects planned

In addition to conducting basic research projects, the use of the separator forms the basis for extended applied industrial research and development collaborations. As early as summer 2025, two industrial projects led by Prof. Rainer Krull and M. Sc. Jan-Angelus Meyer from the Institute of Bioprocess Engineering (ibvt) at TU Braunschweig will be carried out with the Pathfinder, building on the new technical possibilities of the Biotechnikum. "In future, the PVZ will thus offer extended opportunities for collaboration with partners from the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry in order to advance innovative and application-oriented research," say the ibvt researchers.