Lali – CODOBIO

Narges Lali

hosted at acib, Austria

I have a master of science (MSc) degree in chemical engineering in the field of biotechnology, from Amirkabir University of Technology (AUT). Also, I also have few years working experience in a biopharmaceutical company in R&D department with main focus on downstream processing. In 2019 I started my project in CODOBIO. The project title is “Residence time distribution (RTD): effect on start-up and shut-down for product collection”. As a part of CODOBIO project, this project consists of the PhD program in BioProcess Engineering in University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (Universität für Bodenkultur Wien, BOKU). The goal of this research project is establishing a model for the residence time distribution of a complete downstream process for understanding the start-up and shut-down times as well as where to cut for project collection for continuous processes. This is crucial for understanding and managing possible process disturbances as well as the start and end of the process. To achieve a complete model for the whole downstream chain, each unit operation will be modelled individually before combining all models into a complete process model. The unit operations in this research project will be based on the established scheme for antibody purification.

The major accomplishments expected in this project are:

Establishing a program that can handle multiple residence time distributions and the combination into a process scheme with dynamic sequence
Establish the model descriptions for each individual unit operation in the process chain of a monoclonal antibody purification
Verifying the model assumptions in terms residence time distribution experimentally for each unit operation.

Short description of project:

Characterizing how the material moves through the continuous purification processing. The residence time distribution (RTD) function was used to characterize individual unit operations and the whole process, to help trace the material.

What new skill/skills did you learn?

I learned a lot about antibody-based therapeutics, the purification process, and individual unit operations. Also gain may soft skills including problem-solving, time management, team working, etc.

What did you enjoy most about your project?

I enjoyed being heard and trusted over my ideas while working on a project together with knowledgeable scientists in the field.

What do you believe is your biggest contribution to the scientific community?

I believe my biggest contribution was finding a new batch definition for the continuous downstream processing, also characterizing the antibody adsorption on affinity chromatography resin.

What would your advice be for future Early-Stage Researchers at the start of their project?

My advice for future Early-Stage Researchers is to believe in your new ideas.

What do you plan next?

I plan to stay in academia for a few more years and continue my career as a post-doctoral researcher.