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Enabling intensified PD with capacitance-based process control 

Enabling intensified PD with capacitance-based process control 

Browse key moments from this webinar, or skip right to the topics you’re most interested in:  

(2:37) About ABER and the reasons why to move beyond offline measurements

(8:14) How capacitance technology works

(12:20) Application examples: batch, fed-batch, microcarriers and viral vectors

(24:42) Perfusion, process intensification and media savings

(28:58) Upstream Process Intensification and Ambr® 250 HT Gen 2 overview

(38:01) Integrated PAT and case studies (Novartis & AstraZeneca)

(49:03) Conclusions and Q & A

 

 

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Question & Answers

Your questions, answered by our speakers 

During this webinar, attendees were given the opportunity to submit their questions. Some were answered live, while others were answered in follow up. Here, our experts revisit those questions, sharing insights that on-demand viewers can learn from and apply.

The Gen 2 system includes several major enhancements compared to the original platform:

  •  Improved scaled-down performance, including updated gassing modules that support continuous gas flows and refined gassing strategies.
  • Enhanced data integrity features, enabling Gen 2 to serve as a more robust and compliant scaled-down model.
  • Expanded analytical capabilities, such as built-in support for BioPAT® Biomass (capacitance-based biomass measurement) and integrated pCO₂ sensing.
  • User-driven updates throughout the system design, based on extensive feedback from the AMBR user community.
  • Field upgrades for Gen 1 units (serial numbers SN132 and above) allow existing systems to add capacitance functionality even if they remain Gen 1 platforms.

 

The electric field produced by the capacitance sensor is extremely small—so small that it is considered infinitesimal. This field does not negatively impact cell viability. In suspension cultures, cells pass the probe only briefly, further minimizing exposure. Across decades of use, there have been no reports of capacitance measurement harming or altering cell health.

Both approaches are used effectively: 

  • Some processes convert capacitance into VCD and use that value for control. 

  • However, there is growing adoption of using raw capacitance as the direct control parameter.

    This shift is driven by the fact that capacitance reflects viable biovolume—which changes with both cell number and cell size. For many intensified or perfusion processes, controlling based on biovolume results in more consistent performance than relying solely on cell count.

Industry practice is trending toward biovolume-based control, which relies directly on raw capacitance. This method offers advantages because: 

  • Capacitance naturally reflects the combination of viable cell size and number. 

  • Nutrient demand and perfusion dynamics often correlate more closely with total viable biovolume than with VCD alone. 

    As a result, using capacitance directly—rather than converting to VCD—is increasingly viewed as the more robust and future-proof strategy.

Yes. Units beginning with serial number SN132 and above can be upgraded in the field to add capacitance measurement capability. This allows organizations to benefit from real-time biomass measurement even on earlier-generation hardware.