Cell Culture & Upstream Processing

Optimized Media. Higher Titers. Smarter Processes.

8/12/2026 - August 13, 2026 ALL TIMES EDT

The Cell Culture and Upstream Processing conference delivers in-depth scientific and engineering insight into the technologies shaping todayâ€™s biomanufacturing. The program explores advanced media development for complex modalities, intensified and perfusion-based processes, and strategies for scaling biologics beyond traditional mAbs. Attendees will also gain practical guidance on real-time process monitoring, digital twins, predictive modeling, and integration of up- and downstream processing. This meeting equips scientists and engineers with the tools to drive efficiency, ensure product quality, and accelerate next-generation manufacturing innovation.

Preliminary Agenda

Session Block

PLENARY SESSION

PLENARY KEYNOTE PRESENTATION:
The Correct Way to Bring Digital and AI into Biopharmaceutical Quality

Photo of Anthony R. Mire-Sluis, PhD, Senior Vice President, Global Quality, Gilead Sciences , SVP , Global Quality , Gilead Sciences — Anthony R. Mire-Sluis, PhD, Senior Vice President, Global Quality, Gilead Sciences , SVP , Global Quality , Gilead Sciences

Digitalizing quality systems and the advent of artificial intelligence has the potential to revolutionize the way we work in quality. However, it needs careful planning and execution to gain the maximum benefits to the business. Appropriate use cases, change management, training, and streamlining processes before you digitalize is essentialâ€”putting complexity in just results in digital complexity. In addition, the implementation of AI must follow GxP principles in what is currently a vague regulatory framework.

Panel Moderator:

FIRESIDE CHAT: Bringing Digital and AI into Biopharmaceutical Quality and Manufacturing

Photo of Susan Hynes, Global Head of Quality, GSK , SVP, GSK Global Quality , GSK — Susan Hynes, Global Head of Quality, GSK , SVP, GSK Global Quality , GSK

Panelists:

Photo of Lynn Bottone, Senior Vice President, Quality Operations, Environment Health & Safety, Pfizer Inc. , Senior Vice President Quality, Safety & Environmental Operations , Quality Operations, Environment Health & Safety , Pfizer Inc — Lynn Bottone, Senior Vice President, Quality Operations, Environment Health & Safety, Pfizer Inc. , Senior Vice President Quality, Safety & Environmental Operations , Quality Operations, Environment Health & Safety , Pfizer Inc

Session Block

SCALING UP STRATEGIES

KEYNOTE PRESENTATION: Developing & Scaling-up Intensified Fed-Batch Processes

Jose M. Gomes, Senior Principal Scientist & Manager, Bioprocess R&D, Pfizer Inc. , Sr Principal Scientist & Mgr , Bioprocess R&D , Pfizer Inc

Scaling up of mAb Manufacturing in a Government Lab

Photo of Jishna Ganguly, MSc. Senior Scientist, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) , Senior Scientist , mAb Process Development Lead, MS&T , Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) — Jishna Ganguly, MSc. Senior Scientist, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) , Senior Scientist , mAb Process Development Lead, MS&T , Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR)

MEDIA DEVELOPMENT AND OPTIMIZATION

Converting Low-Seed Processes to Intensified Fed-Batch Processes through Smart Media Design and PAT Controls

Photo of Sarwat Khattak, PhD, Head of Cell Culture and Cell Line Development, Biogen , Senior Engineer III , Proteins Development , Biogen — Sarwat Khattak, PhD, Head of Cell Culture and Cell Line Development, Biogen , Senior Engineer III , Proteins Development , Biogen

Photo of Yuxin Liu, Senior Scientist, Sanofi Group , Sr Scientist , Sanofi Grp — Yuxin Liu, Senior Scientist, Sanofi Group , Sr Scientist , Sanofi Grp

IMPROVING CELL CULTURE PROCESSES AND MANUFACTURABILITY

Increasing Cell Culture Process Robustness through Raw Material and Metabolic Understanding

Photo of Delia Lyons, Principal Scientist, Process Sciences, AbbVie Inc. , Senior Principal Scientist , Cell Culture Process Development, PDS&T , AbbVie Inc — Delia Lyons, Principal Scientist, Process Sciences, AbbVie Inc. , Senior Principal Scientist , Cell Culture Process Development, PDS&T , AbbVie Inc

Photo of Zhuangrong Huang, PhD, Senior Staff Engineer, Biotherapeutics Technology Development and Implementation, Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. , Sr Staff Engineer , Biotherapeutics Technology Dev and Impleme , Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd — Zhuangrong Huang, PhD, Senior Staff Engineer, Biotherapeutics Technology Development and Implementation, Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. , Sr Staff Engineer , Biotherapeutics Technology Dev and Impleme , Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd

DIGITAL BIOMAUFACTURING IN UPSTREAM PROCESSING

Cell Culture Digital Twinsâ€”Challenges and TriumphsÂ

Photo of Brooke Tam, PhD, Process Engineer, Lead, Cell Culture and Digital Twins, Sanofi , Process Engineer III , Sanofi Grp — Brooke Tam, PhD, Process Engineer, Lead, Cell Culture and Digital Twins, Sanofi , Process Engineer III , Sanofi Grp

Scaling Up TFF for Upstream Continuous Processing: Applications of Mechanistic Modeling

Ashna Dhingra, Bioprocess Technologies & Engineering Scientist, AstraZeneca , Bioprocess Technologies & Engineering Scientist , AstraZeneca

End-to-End Bioprocessing with Digital Twins: Industrial Showcases from Batch to Fully-Continuous Modalities

Photo of Mark Duerkop, CEO, Novasign GmbH , CEO , Novasign — Mark Duerkop, CEO, Novasign GmbH , CEO , Novasign

Autonomous Bioprocess Digital Twins for Next-Generation Biomanufacturing

Photo of Dong-Yup Lee, PhD, Professor, Head, Process Design & Systems Engineering Lab, Head, BioProcess Digital Twin Lab, Sungkyunkwan University , Professor , Chemical Engineering , Sungkyunkwan Univ — Dong-Yup Lee, PhD, Professor, Head, Process Design & Systems Engineering Lab, Head, BioProcess Digital Twin Lab, Sungkyunkwan University , Professor , Chemical Engineering , Sungkyunkwan Univ

The future of bioprocessing is autonomous. I will show how a CHO digital twin fuses genome-scale metabolic modeling with PAT-driven AI to forecast VCD and titer in real time. By introducing an XAI-guided, BOâ€“enabled adaptive control framework, we move to closed-loop decision-making by updating recipes and feeding towards desired setpoints trajectories. The result is interpretable, high-performance control that enables transparent, end-to-end bioprocess optimization.
The Engine: Autonomous DT coupling with PAT and soft sensors
The Intelligence: CHO GEM and AI forecasting for real-time cellular state prediction
The Execution: An XAI-guided control framework bridging the gap between machine learning and operational trust