Cell therapy is a therapy where cellular materials are injected, grafted or implanted into the body of the patient in order to effectuate medicinal effect. This method is increasingly becoming a part of the medical practice and has applications in various diseases ranging from diabetes and wounds of soft tissues to nervous system, genetic disorders and cancer. Despite the promising effect that cell therapies have, they are associated with significant issues such as having poorly defined manufacturing processes, lack of effective small-scale models, and high costs. Manufacturing tools such as bioreactors are valuable platforms for cost-effective and consistent production of cell therapies as they maintain the culture environment. In addition, monitoring cell culture processes is an essential factor in achieving optimal performance and consistency. Monitoring normally happens by placing sensors inside the cell culture environment and tracking the changes in different parameters such as temperature, pH and dissolved oxygen (DO). Despite the advantages of monitoring systems, the presence of sensors in cell culture environment could result in contamination. Eliminating the risk of cross-contamination during the cell culture process is more critical compared to other biologics. Therefore, a system capable of monitoring cell culture parameters in a noninvasive way is the optimal monitoring system. The noninvasive term refers to the measurements of different parameters without direct contact with the cell culture environment. As my PhD thesis, I am working on developing a method for noninvasive measurement of dissolved oxygen (DO), dissolved carbon dioxide (DCO2), and pH.
Related Publication:
Rahmatnejad, V., Tolosa, M., Ge, X., & Rao, G. (2022). A novel approach to noninvasive monitoring of dissolved carbon dioxide in small-scale cell culture processes. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2022.968294