What if solving tomorrow’s bioprocessing challenges meant questioning the very physics of chromatography and reimagining downstream processing from the ground up? For years, large biomolecules like viral vectors and exosomes have squeezed through the limitations of traditional chromatography, leaving scientists to wrestle with capacity trade-offs and slow mass transfer. But what if a fundamental shift could unlock breakthroughs for gene therapies, vaccines, and advanced biologics? In this tho...
In this episode, host David Brühlmann is joined by Alois Jungbauer, Professor Emeritus at BOKU University, Vienna, and Scientific Advisor at BioChromatographix International. With over 40 years in bioprocess engineering and more than 400 published papers, Jungbauer offers a unique perspective on how downstream processing and purification technologies have evolved and where they’re headed next. Alois shares his unconventional journey into the world of biotech, starting from humble beginnings o...
What if the future of affordable, life-changing cell and gene therapies comes down to one critical yet often overlooked factor: manufacturing efficiency? In advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs), groundbreaking science abounds, but the path to the clinic is still strewn with bottlenecks, especially when it comes to cost, complexity, and safety. While the promise is enormous, most therapies remain out of reach for many patients due to high cost of goods and logistical hurdles. What can a...
Viral vectors are the backbone of cutting-edge cell and gene therapies, delivering life-altering treatments to patients with genetic diseases. But making these biological delivery vehicles is a high-wire act: unpredictable, complex, and fraught with hurdles that traditional biologics manufacturers have never faced. While the world races toward next-generation therapies, the challenge of producing viral vectors at clinical and commercial scale threatens to leave patients waiting on the sidelin...
Is continuous manufacturing delivering the transformative results everyone promised, or are you being sold an expensive solution to the wrong problem? While industry headlines tout revolutionary productivity gains, the economic reality behind continuous bioprocessing tells a more nuanced story that every process engineer needs to understand before making capital investment decisions. In this episode, host David Brühlmann continues his conversation with Andreas Castan, Strategic Technology and...
What if process intensification could transform your bioprocessing economics without the complexity most engineers fear? Getting 3x productivity gains and 30-150% titer increases once seemed reserved for Big Pharma's endless R&D budgets, but a strategic approach to technology selection is making these results achievable for companies of any size. In this episode, David Brühlmann speaks with Andreas Castan, a bioprocess veteran with over 25 years of industry experience who provides leaders...
Still think you can "figure out CMC later"? Your competitors just implemented a systematic framework that cuts their IND timeline in half while you're still debating whether CMC matters. The founders who file INDs predictably aren't smarter than you. They just stopped gambling with ad-hoc CMC approaches and started executing proven systems. While you're wrestling with technical details in crisis mode, they built systematic advantages that turn regulatory complexity into competitive weapons. I...
Think you can crack the science first and worry about CMC when you "need it"? That's exactly how promising therapies die in regulatory limbo while patients keep waiting. Your breakthrough discovery means nothing if it's trapped in CMC chaos. While you're perfecting your molecular mechanism, competitors with inferior science but superior CMC strategy are racing past you to IND filing and ultimately, to patients. In this episode, I, David Brühlmann, your usual host, expose the dangerous delusio...
For too long, biotech innovators have viewed biological systems as inherently messy, unpredictable, and full of “black box” mysteries. But what if, armed with the latest digital tools, AI, and cross-disciplinary thinking, you could transform bioprocessing from a series of trial-and-error experiments to a streamlined, proactive design process? Carmen Jungo Rhême is Full Professor at the University of Applied Sciences in Fribourg (HEIA-FR) and Director of the Biofactory Competence Center (BCC)....
Almost every corner of modern medicine and sustainable food production today is facing a massive challenge: how do we outpace drug-resistant “superbugs” and create food for a growing population using fewer resources? The answer, it turns out, may come down to how well we understand and control the biomanufacturing processes underpinning these biomaterials and biomolecules. In this episode, David Brühlmann speaks with Carmen Jungo Rhême, Full Professor at the University of Applied Sciences in ...
Imagine unlocking a world where designing custom proteins is not only feasible - but faster, smarter, and more powerful than ever before, thanks to artificial intelligence. As the promise of programmable biology takes center stage, AI-driven protein engineering is rapidly moving from theoretical dream to industry standard. In this episode, David Brühlmann sits down with Elise de Reus, co-founder of Cradle, whose ground-breaking platform has become a go-to for luminaries at pharma giants, as w...
For decades, protein design has hinged on painstaking rounds of wet lab mutagenesis and trial-and-error, a process limited not by human ingenuity, but by time and complexity. Yet as the biotech field seeks faster, greener, and more effective solutions for therapeutics and industrial applications, the next leap might not come solely from the lab bench. In this episode, host David Brühlmann explores the frontiers of AI-driven protein engineering with Elise de Reus, co-founder of Cradle. Elise’s...
What’s the secret to turning a cutting-edge scientific breakthrough into a commercial biotech success? For every inspiring lab discovery, countless prototypes stall before ever reaching the market. The barriers? Securing the right beta testers, outmanoeuvring industry giants, and building teams who understand not just the science, but the user experience from bench to bedside. In this episode of the Smart Biotech Scientist Podcast, David Brühlmann welcomes Chervee Ho, CEO & Co-Founder of ...
Every year, cutting-edge biomedical technologies are left stranded in the lab, not for lack of innovation, but because they miss the crucial leap from technical performance to genuine industry adoption. The gap between scientific brilliance and commercial success is deceptively simple: deeply understanding and building for your customer’s real-world pain points. In this episode, David Brühlmann welcomes Chervee Ho, CEO & Co-Founder of BioChromatographix International. With a background at...
What if the secret to making continuous bioprocessing practical, sustainable, and far simpler has been shaking - literally - just beneath our feet? For years, the industry has grappled with the complexities of continuous manufacturing, with technologies like ATF (alternating tangential flow) steadily dominating the perfusion landscape. But what if there's a game-changer right around the corner - a technology that vibrates membranes, not workflows, promising both higher performance and a green...
What if one of biotech’s biggest production breakthroughs was hiding in plain sight? Not in a new gene or a wonder drug, but in the way we process and purify biologics. Perfusion technology, once dismissed as a pipedream in top biopharma boardrooms, is now quietly powering some of the industry’s most efficient and productive manufacturing platforms. Yet, transforming perfusion from controversial buzzword to gold standard required timing, vision, and a willingness to break from tradition. In t...
The promise of advanced cell therapies is undeniable, but as demand skyrockets, the challenges of taking a living drug from bench to bedside have never been greater. Each batch brings variability, each jurisdiction adds regulatory hurdles, and every strategic decision can determine whether a lifesaving therapy reaches patients or fizzles out behind clinical barriers. Lindsay Davies is a leading figure in the cell and gene therapy field, serving as Vice President-Elect for Europe at the Intern...
The key to conquering autoimmune diseases and type 1 diabetes may lie not in replacing lost cells, but in retraining the immune system using cells already within the body. Biotech is increasingly exploring stem cell therapies, but a quieter revolution is brewing: stromal cell therapy. These master “coordinators” aren’t about rebuilding tissues molecule by molecule - instead, they orchestrate an anti-inflammatory response, offering new hope for conditions once considered incurable. In this epi...
The promise of cultured food is undeniable: delicious, sustainable meat and fish grown without the need for traditional farming. But the journey from lab bench to supermarket shelf is filled with complex regulatory, technological, and consumer acceptance challenges. The big question: how do we transform small-scale breakthroughs into global food production realities? In this episode of the Smart Biotech Scientist Podcast, host David Brühlmann sits down with Richard Alldread, CTO of The Cultur...
What if the secrets to feeding the planet - and democratizing access to future protein - were hiding in the core toolkit of biopharma? The worlds of biopharmaceuticals and cultured food may seem galaxies apart, but at their heart, both rely on remarkably similar technology: media, bioreactors, and cell processing. Yet, as demand grows for sustainable, affordable protein for the masses, innovators are confronting a challenge bigger than scale. This week, host David Brühlmann welcomes Richard A...
Rahman Babaei
good luck on your new adventure