The current method for estimating growth in microbial cultures is optical density. However, optical density is only accurate for cultures of low densities. Improving ŌGI Bio Ltd’s current bioreactor design and extending the maximum culture density that the modules can accurately monitor will increase the company’s commercial offering and USP.

Challenge

ŌGI Bio Ltd design and manufacture small-scale modular bioreactors. One of the challenges with the reactors is that the system can only obtain accurate OD measurements up to OD 5. Cultures can grow to far denser concentrations so increasing the range of OD accuracy would increase the attractiveness of the system. ŌGI Bio Ltd therefore wanted to explore the feasibility of utilising the University of Edinburgh’s state of the art in-line dilution technology to extend the valid range of OD measurements for their microbioreactors.

Solution

IBioIC Feasibility funding allowed ŌGI Bio Ltd and Teuta Pilizota of the University of Edinburgh to work together to test a different way of measuring cell density in ŌGI’s bioreactors.

The initial plan was to utilise piezo pumps for in-line dilution of cultures but issues with the compatibility and consistency of the microfluidic pumps meant that this had to be abandoned. The team subsequently successfully identified an already published method using angled light to increase the OD range. Without the feasibility study, ŌGI Bio’s development would have not proceeded in a timely fashion and they would have spent substantially more time in identifying the solution.

Outcome

As a result of this project, ŌGI Bio Ltd significantly accelerated the solution.