Process Development and Scale-up for Vibrio natriegens: From BioLector XTMicrobioreactor to Pre-pilot Scale
APPLICATION NOTE
Authors:
Tiphaine Clement, TWB
Joanna Abboud, TWB
Anna Kress & Noud Drummen, Beckman Coulter Life Sciences
Abstract
Optimization, scalability and transferability represent key challenges in bioprocess development. In this study, scalable fermentation processes for Vibrio natriegens were explored using the BioLector XT Microbioreactor.
Initial cultivation parameters, including glycerol concentration (20, 30 and 50 g/L), inoculation density (OD₆₀₀ 0.1-0.5) and induction timing were systematically evaluated. Different feeding strategies (constant, linear, exponential) and feed medium compositions (1× and 4× VN medium) were compared to optimize mScarlet production. Two optimized process conditions were subsequently transferred to 20-L bioreactors to validate scalability. The high-performance process (4× VN feed, feed start at four hours) achieved 1.8-fold higher biomass compared to the low-performance process (1× VN feed, feed start at eight hours) in both scales.
A strong correlation was observed between the BioLector XT Microbioreactor and the 20-L bioreactor performance, demonstrating successful process transferability. The data obtained in the BioLector XT instrument, regarding medium composition and process strategy, was representative of what was observed in the 20-L bioreactor, allowing strong confidence in the scalability and transferability of processes developed at microscale and providing better understanding of V. natriegens physiology.