Smart Biotech Scientist | The CMC and Biomanufacturing Podcast for Bioprocess Development and Manufacturing Leaders
The go-to CMC and bioprocessing podcast for process development scientists and CMC leaders scaling biologics into regulatory-ready therapies with less trial and error.
Practical, execution-focused guidance on CMC development, tech transfer, scale-up, GMP readiness, CDMO partnerships, and manufacturing economics.
Hosted by Dr. David Brühlmann, CMC strategist, former Bioprocess Innovation Manager at Merck, PhD in glycoengineering, and close to 20 years of biomanufacturing experience. Smart Biotech Scientist delivers actionable insights for the people doing the hard work of turning promising molecules into scalable, regulatory-ready therapies.
This podcast is for you if:
- You are a process development scientist or CMC lead managing a technology transfer, scale-up, or CDMO partnership
- You are a biologics developer working on upstream or downstream process development, cell culture optimization, or GMP manufacturing readiness
- You are a biotech founder preparing for an IND filing or Series A fundraise, and need a CMC strategy that holds up under investor and regulatory scrutiny
- You are building or advising an early-stage biopharma team and need to make smart manufacturing decisions with limited resources
What you will learn:
CMC strategy and regulatory planning, bioprocess scale-up from lab to clinical and commercial manufacturing, cell culture process development and media optimization, technology transfer best practices, CDMO selection and partnership management, hybrid modeling and manufacturing economics, continuous manufacturing and Industry 4.0 in biopharma, biologics modalities including mAbs, ADCs, and cell and gene therapies.
Top 10 life sciences podcast with 200+ episodes and guests from Merck, FUJIFILM Irvine Scientific, Cytiva, KBI Biopharma, Eppendorf, and biotech innovators worldwide.
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Next Steps:
Book a free assessment to reduce biomanufacturing costs and make lifesaving therapies more accessible: https://bruehlmann-consulting.com/assessment
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Smart Biotech Scientist | The CMC and Biomanufacturing Podcast for Bioprocess Development and Manufacturing Leaders
159: The Ultimate Guide to Accelerating Perfusion Process Development Using 96-Deep-Well Plates with Tom Valentin - Part 1
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In bioprocess development, the ability to rapidly screen conditions and predict scale-up performance can mean the difference between a successful therapy launch and costly delays. Today's Smart Biotech Scientist episode features Tom Valentin from CSEM, who's pioneering revolutionary approaches to miniaturized perfusion systems that could transform how we develop biologics.
Tom is a group leader at CSEM for Automated Sample Handling within the Life Sciences and Industry 4.0 business unit. As a mechanical and biomedical engineer, he brings a unique cross-disciplinary perspective to solving bioprocessing's most challenging miniaturization problems.
What makes this conversation essential listening:
- 96-deep-well plates are revolutionizing perfusion development: Tom reveals how CSEM's innovative fluidic lids enable continuous medium exchange in 300-microliter volumes, potentially allowing up to 96 parallel perfusion experiments with automated liquid handlers and shaker incubators
- Three critical barriers still need solving: Despite the promise, Tom identifies the key technical challenges that must be overcome: ultra-low flow rate liquid handling (imagine exchanging 300 μL over 24 hours), effective cell retention in miniaturized systems, and cost-effective real-time biomonitoring that fits within well plate constraints
- The future of process development is automated and intelligent: From pressure-over-liquid systems to advanced sensor integration, Tom outlines how companies can achieve near-autonomous perfusion screening—but warns that current sensing limitations mean viable cell density monitoring remains the "holy grail" of small-scale perfusion
This isn't just about smaller equipment—it's about fundamentally changing how we approach process development. If you're working in cell culture optimization, process scale-up, or bioprocess automation, Tom's insights reveal both the tremendous opportunities and practical realities of implementing next-generation perfusion systems.
For biotech professionals, staying ahead means embracing these high-throughput, data-rich models, allowing smarter, faster, and more predictive process development for the therapies of tomorrow.
Discover how bioprocessing is evolving - from high-throughput screening to digital twins and continuous manufacturing- in these expert-led episodes.
- Episode 155: From Process Bottlenecks to Seamless Production: How Continuous Bioprocessing Changes Everything
- Episodes 153-154: The Future of Bioprocessing: Industry 4.0, Digital Twins, and Continuous Manufacturing Strategies with Tiago Matos
- Episodes 85-86: Bioprocess 4.0: Integrated Continuous Biomanufacturing with Massimo Morbidelli
- Episodes 73-74: Bead-Based Assays: The Power of High-Throughput Screening with Sebastian Giehring
Connect with Tom Valentin:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/tom-valentin-5bb9091b
Website: www.csem.ch/en
Email: thomas.valentin@csem.ch
Next step:
Book a free consultation to help you get started on any questions you may have about bioprocessing analytics: https://bruehlmann-consulting.com/call
Develop bioprocessing technologies better, faster, at a fraction of the cost with our 1:1 Strategy Call: The quickest and eas
One bad CDMO decision can cost you two years and your Series A. If you're navigating tech transfer, CDMO selection, or IND prep, let's talk before it gets expensive. Two slots open this month.