A fluorescence anisotropy method for measuring protein concentration in complex cell culture media

Journal articleThe rapid, quantitative analysis of the complex cell culture media used in biopharmaceutical manufacturing is of critical importance. Requirements for cell culture media composition profiling, or changes in specific analyte concentrations (e. g. amino acids in the media or product protein in the bioprocess broth) often necessitate the use of complicated analytical methods and extensive sample handling. Rapid spectroscopic methods like multi-dimensional fluorescence (MDF) spectroscopy have been successfully applied for the routine determination of compositional changes in cell culture media and bioprocess broths. Quantifying macromolecules in cell culture media is a specific challenge as there is a need to implement measurements rapidly on the prepared media. However, the use of standard fluorescence spectroscopy is complicated by the emission overlap from many media components. Here, we demonstrate how combining anisotropy measurements with standard total synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy (TSFS) provides a rapid, accurate quantitation method for cell culture media. Anisotropy provides emission resolution between large and small fluorophores while TSFS provides a robust measurement space. Model cell culture mediawas prepared using yeastolate (2.5mgmL(-1)) spiked with bovine serum albumin (0 to 5mgmL (-1)). Using this method, protein emission is clearly discriminated from background yeastolate emission, allowing for accurate bovine serum albumin (BSA) quantification over a 0.1 to 4.0mgmL(-1)range with a limit of detection (LOD) of 13.8mgmL(-1). (c) 2014 Published by Elsevier B.V.Irish Research Council - EMBARK Initiativepeer-reviewe

Expert systems for food safety

The integration of experimental data and expert knowledge in user-friendly software tools has been an ongoing effort in the domain of food safety for more than 20 years. Starting with an overview of currently used definitions for the term 'expert system' (ES) and a brief description of the general system architecture we point to issues that were identified as critical for broad end user acceptance in the years 2013-2015. We briefly discuss the increasing demand for updatability of expert system knowledge bases and limitations originating from certain data-driven algorithms used for model generation. Finally we discuss how a strategy proposed for the establishment of community-driven food safety model repositories can contribute to the development of enhanced decision support systems supporting their broad application in the food sector

Facilitating a culture of responsible and effective sharing of cancer genome data

Rapid and affordable tumor molecular profiling has led to an explosion of clinical and genomic data poised to enhance the diagnosis, prognostication and treatment of cancer. A critical point has now been reached at which the analysis and storage of annotated clinical and genomic information in unconnected silos will stall the advancement of precision cancer care. Information systems must be harmonized to overcome the multiple technical and logistical barriers to data sharing. Against this backdrop, the Global Alliance for Genomic Health (GA4GH) was established in 2013 to create a common framework that enables responsible, voluntary and secure sharing of clinical and genomic data. This Perspective from the GA4GH Clinical Working Group Cancer Task Team highlights the data-aggregation challenges faced by the field, suggests potential collaborative solutions and describes how GA4GH can catalyze a harmonized data-sharing culture