Cambridge Healthtech Institute’s 23rd Annual
Cell Culture & Upstream Processing
Scaling Productivity and Quality across Modalities
June 16-17, 2027
Upstream teams are under pressure to deliver more process knowledge from fewer experiments as the range of modalities widens. The Cell Culture & Upstream Processing conference brings together cell culture scientists and upstream process engineers to address the full scope of upstream challenges, from intensified mAb processes to viral vector, mRNA, and plasmid DNA production. Sessions will also highlight media and feed optimization, perfusion strategies, the harvest interface, and the growing role of hybrid modeling and digital twins in scale-up and process control. Attendees will gain practical approaches to predicting large-scale performance, controlling product quality, and reducing cost of goods across established and emerging modalities.
Coverage will include, but is not limited to:
- AI, DIGITAL TWINS, AND PREDICTIVE UPSTREAM
- Mechanistic and hybrid modeling for process prediction, feeding, process optimization, and scale up
- Scale-down model qualification for mini-bioreactor systems
- Digital twins in upstream development to reduce experimental burden
- Implementation challenges in development vs. manufacturing
- Operationalizing AI models: data pipelines from ELN to enterprise systems and user adoption
- SCALE-UP, TITER, AND PRODUCT QUALITY CHALLENGES IN UPSTREAM PROCESSING
- Quality and PTM challenges in high-producing cell lines for complex modalities
- Incorporating non-natural amino acids in cell culture
- Transient transfection challenges for viral vector production
- Suspension serum-free lentiviral vector production
- mRNA in vitro transcription process scale up
- Reducing COGS through upstream optimization: plasmid, bioreactor parameters, media usage, transfection, cell line
- Controlling glycosylation: cell engineering, culture conditions, media composition, and enzymatic modification
- MEDIA & FEED DEVELOPMENT AND OPTIMIZATION
- Modeling for feed amount and media formulation optimization with increased cell density
- DOE/high-throughput screening for feed and media optimization
- Media optimization: from batch to intensification
- Bayesian optimization for culture media design
- Hydrolysate-based media development and reducing media costs
- PROCESS INTENSIFICATION & PERFUSION
- High-cell-density steady-state perfusion operation
- Cell bleed and product loss trade-offs
- Population modeling to increase robustness of continuous processing
- Single-cell, image-based analysis of population heterogeneity in scale-up/scale-down
- Integrating perfusion and clarification for viral vectors
- Perfusion expansion of allogeneic CAR T cells
- HARVEST TECHNOLOGIES & THE UPSTREAM–DOWNSTREAM INTERFACE
- In silico modeling of harvest process
- Analyzing cell-derived particles in harvest to design and scale up clarification for high-density/intensified processes
- Improving product quality during harvest
- Separation techniques for high-density clarification
- Scale-down models: predict from small to manufacturing scale
- Challenges and advances in centrifugation
- Pre-harvest flocculation and precipitation pretreatment: lessons from vaccines to biologics
The deadline for priority consideration is November 20, 2026.
All proposals are subject to review by session chairpersons and/or the Scientific Advisory Committee to ensure the overall quality of the conference program. Additionally, as per Cambridge Healthtech Institute’s policy, a select number of vendors and consultants who provide products and services will be offered opportunities for podium presentation slots based on a variety of Corporate Sponsorships.
Opportunities for Participation:
- To submit a podium presentation, please click here.
- To become a sponsor, click here.
- To present a poster, click here.
- To sign up to attend, click here.