Certificate of Upstream Bioprocessing 3-Day course

25-27 March 2025 - spaces available
24-26 June 2025 - spaces available

Location: FlexBio (Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh)
Price: £2100 per attendee (academic rate available)*
The number of attendees per course is limited to secure hands-on opportunities for each person. Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

Overview
This 3-day course is designed for early-career professionals and anyone looking to gain a practical and theoretical understanding of upstream bio-manufacturing. It combines 6 expert-led lectures with hands-on practical demonstrations using bench-scale, pilot-scale, and single-use bioreactors. Key highlights include hands-on experience with a 30L stainless steel stirred tank bioreactor for fermentation processes such as set-up, steam sterilization, inoculation, monitoring, and harvest. Attendees will receive a “Certificate of Upstream Bioprocessing” upon completion.

Learning Outcomes

• Comprehensive understanding of microbial and mammalian cell cultivation.

• Insights into scale-up challenges and considerations.

• Familiarity with cell types, metabolism, fermentation modes, and bioreactor types.

• Practical skills in fermentation, sterilization, and quality control.

• Proficiency in aseptic and sampling techniques.

Who will benefit?
Ideal for scientists, engineers, graduates, technical managers, and operators, particularly those starting careers in fermentation and upstream bioprocessing.

*Terms and Conditions apply

———-

Course Breakdown

Day 1

Morning:

• Lecture 1: Overview of upstream bioprocessing.

• Lecture 2: Cell types, metabolism, and microbial fermentation basics.

• Practical: Preparation of inoculum and fermentation media.

Afternoon:

• Pilot bioreactor introduction, set-up, and steam sterilization.

• Introduction to bench-scale bioreactors.

Day 2

Morning:

• Lecture 3: Fermentation modes and scale-up.

• Lecture 4: Scale-up considerations.

• Practical: Bioreactor start-up and pre-inoculation sampling.

Afternoon:

• Examination of inoculum and pre-inoculation samples.

• Inoculation and sampling from pilot bioreactor.

Day 3

• Morning:

• Lecture 5: Overview of downstream processing.

• Lecture 6: Virtual Reality in Bioprocessing – Hands-on VR/AR training.

• Practical: Sampling and analysis from pilot bioreactor.

Afternoon:

• Pilot bioreactor harvest, clean-in-place, and dismantling.

• Introduction to single-use wave bag bioreactors.

This course is an excellent opportunity to develop critical skills for bio-manufacturing and fermentation.