Award-winning Bioprocess Engineers

Bioprocessing Advances in Vaccine Manufacturing

August 22, 2022

Dr. Yvonne Genzel and Tilia Zinnecker, scientists of the team Upstream Processing, research group Bioprocess Engineering (Prof. Udo Reichl), at the Max Planck Institute Magdeburg were honoured in June 2022.

Innovation for modern biotechnological processes are essential to meet the global demands for manufacturing of biologicals in general and to prevent bottlenecks in vaccine production in particular. Therefore, monitoring, design and optimization of bioprocesses and the development of integrated concepts for design and optimization of vaccine production processes are crucial.

In this context, the research of the MPI Upstream Processing team is focusing on process intensification for animal cell culture-based virus production in order to further improve virus yields and the productivity of vaccine manufacturing processes.

Two scientists of the team have been recently honoured for their efforts.

PD Dr. Yvonne Genzel rewarded with ESACT Medal

PD Dr. Yvonne Genzel, biotechnologist and team leader of the Upstream Processing team, received one of the three ESACT Medals for her contribution to the ESACT Course Series and her commitment being an active elected member and secretary of the Executive Committee of the European Society for Animal Cell Technology (ESACT).

The European Society for Animal Cell Technology is a non-profit society, which brings together scientists, engineers and other specialists working with animal cells in order to exchange knowledge between European and International investigators and progress the development of cell culture platforms and derived products.

Vaccine Technology Poster Award for Tilia Zinnecker

Tilia Zinnecker M. Sc., biotechnologist and Ph. D. student in the Upstream Processing team, was awarded with one of the Poster Awards at the Vaccine Technology Conference. She was honoured for presenting her research onAutomated single-cell cloning in chemically defined medium for new suspension MDCK cell lines and scale-down of influenza A virus production into ambr®15 microbioreactors”. Using influenza vaccine manufacturing as an example, she and her team developed a combined approach that generated new monoclonal suspension MDCK cell lines with subsequent virus in a single-use ambr®15 single-use microbioreactor system.

ECI Vaccine Technology took place from June 12-17, 2022 in Sitges, Spain. It is a leading conference focused on the discovery, development and manufacture of vaccines. It brings together international top experts to discuss the technologies and discoveries that will advance vaccines for global needs. The meeting is organized by scientists from academia and industry, providing very high quality, cutting-edge scientific content.

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