Smart Biotech Scientist | The CMC and Bioprocessing Podcast for Process Development and Manufacturing Leaders
The go-to CMC and biomanufacturing podcast for bioprocess development scientists and CMC leaders scaling biologics into regulatory-ready therapies with less trial and error.
Practical, execution-focused, and strategic guidance on CMC development, tech transfer, scale-up, GMP readiness, CDMO partnerships, and manufacturing economics for biologics, cell and gene therapies, cultivated meat, and biomaterials.
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, manufacturing economics, continuous manufacturing, digitization, and Industry 4.0 in biopharma.
Top 10 life sciences podcast with 200+ episodes and guests from Merck, FUJIFILM Irvine Scientific, Cytiva, KBI Biopharma, Eppendorf, and biotech innovators worldwide.
New episodes released weekly. Subscribe and join 400+ biotech leaders already using these insights to accelerate development, reduce manufacturing costs, and de-risk scale-up.
Next Steps:
Visit the Website: https://smartbiotechscientist.com
Email us: hello@bruehlmann-consulting.com
Smart Biotech Scientist | The CMC and Bioprocessing Podcast for Process Development and Manufacturing Leaders
207: Cryogenic Infrared Ion Spectroscopy: From Mass Spec Limitations to Molecular Precision with Tom Rizzo - Part 1
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What if you could identify every structural variant in your biologics—without ambiguity, without massive sample requirements, and without the guesswork that plagues traditional mass spectrometry? Cryogenic infrared ion spectroscopy (CIRIS) makes it possible, transforming molecular characterization from frustrating puzzle to precise science.
Today's guest, Professor Tom Rizzo, bridges the gap between academic innovation and industrial application. As former Dean of the School of Basic Sciences at EPFL in Lausanne and now Chief Scientific Officer at Isospec Analytics, Tom has spent over two decades developing analytical techniques that solve problems conventional methods can't touch.
His journey from a childhood fascination sparked by chemistry demonstrations at the 1964 New York World's Fair to pioneering a breakthrough technology reveals both the persistence required for true innovation and the pathway from laboratory curiosity to commercial reality. For bioprocess scientists struggling with glycan characterization, isomer identification, or any structural puzzle where mass spec alone falls short, this conversation offers both validation and solutions.
Episode Highlights:
- The fundamental limitations of current biomolecular analysis methods and why innovation is critical (02:51)
- From World's Fair chemistry demos to laser spectroscopy: Tom Rizzo's path to analytical innovation (03:31)
- The two-decade quest to combine mass spectrometry sensitivity with laser spectroscopy precision—and the machine that finally made it work (04:26)
- Why Tom transitioned from academic leadership to Isospec Analytics: bringing lab techniques to production environments (09:17)
- CIRIS fundamentals: how cooling ions to 10 Kelvin unlocks molecular fingerprints that room-temperature methods miss (11:14)
- CIRIS advantages for biologics: single-ion sensitivity, isomer discrimination, and unique molecular "fingerprints" for definitive identification (14:25)
- Integrating CIRIS into existing bioprocess workflows: LC-MS compatibility and the path to commercial instrumentation (17:29)
- Hard-won lessons from translating academic breakthroughs into industrial tools (17:43)
When mass spectrometry hits its limits—distinguishing isomers, characterizing glycans, identifying unknowns in complex mixtures—cryogenic infrared ion spectroscopy provides the structural resolution you need. This isn't incremental improvement; it's a fundamental expansion of what's analytically possible.
If you're facing molecular identification challenges that conventional methods can't solve, or if you're curious how next-generation analytical techniques will transform bioprocess development, this episode delivers actionable insights from a scientist who's lived both the innovation and implementation journey.
Connect with Tom Rizzo:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-rizzo-4a0a6314/
Contact email: tom@isospec.ch
Isospec Analytics website: www.isospecanalytics.com
Next step:
Need fast CMC guidance? New on-demand CMC advisory: Get 20 expert answers/month in 1 day + monthly strategy call. → Learn more: https://stan.store/SmartBiotech/p/ondemand-cmc-expertise-for-biotech-founders
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.