Biotechnological processes use microorganisms to produce various products. These bioprocesses are environmentally friendly and low in emissions and can therefore help to achieve global climate targets. However, although many good ideas for bioprocesses are developed in the laboratory, only a few can be successfully transferred to industry because large-scale production often delivers poorer yields than under test conditions in the laboratory. One reason for this is that identical cells in a group behave differently than expected. However, these differences also make the cell groups more robust and adaptable to changing environmental conditions and nutrients.
In order to better understand the differences in cell behaviour and to develop sustainable and stable bioprocesses, advanced measurement methods are needed that can record individual cells and their behaviour in detail over time. In her inaugural lecture in July, Prof Anna-Lena Heins explained these measurement methods and showed how they help to better understand and improve bioprocesses.
"The long-term goal is to advance the resource-saving production of a wide range of bio-based products, from fine chemicals to food and medicines," says the scientist, explaining her approach.
About the person
Prof Heins is head of the Institute of Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering in the Department of Process Engineering at the TU Hamburg. Before taking up her position in Hamburg, she lived in Munich, where she had spent the past six years establishing her own research group on population heterogeneity in bioprocesses at the Chair of Bioprocess Engineering at the Technical University.
After studying biotechnology at the Technical University of Braunschweig, Heins completed her doctorate at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) in 2015 before working for two years at Octapharma, where she developed a system for statistical process control.
You can find more information about Prof Heins' research on the institute's website.
