New pathways towards stable bioprocesses, taking a look inside the black box. Better control of bioprocesses. Biotechnology is one of the key areas of innovation for our future economy. We have reaped its benefits over thousands of years. For example, the maturation processes for wine, beer, yeast or dairy products

are all based on the reactions of enzymes and microorganisms. However, the biological processes behind cell metabolism are highly complex and, for the most part, remain a black box. Up to now, the only way to assess the state of the cells during the production process

to see whether they are still vital or losing activity and at what time points they need oxygen or sugar is by analyzing samples in the lab. But this costs time and money. The WePro research alliance has now opened up this black box. WePro brings together 19 partners from industry and academia.

Sensor and software manufacturers, experts in process control, food production and pharmaceutical industries, and two universities. Together, the WePro partners have shown that bioprocesses can be controlled and have highlighted the value of knowledge-based process intelligence.

This helps save resources in the long term and guarantees consistent quality. The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research has funded this important research alliance for six years. From the outset, it was clear the ambitious goals set by the alliance could only be achieved by combining forces.

Listening, asking questions, and being open to understanding and sharing knowledge were central factors in this successful teamwork. To date, manufacturers and researchers engineer bioprocesses by putting the cells and microorganisms in a closed container. The process is monitored by sensors,

some of which have been specifically developed for this purpose. These cover a wide range of requirements, working like eyes, ears, nose, and fingertips. However, so far, these sensors have acted independently of one another. WePro has broken new ground by agreeing on a common data language. All the information converges in a newly created control center,

just like in a human nervous system. The researchers at the universities analyze and link the readout data to new soft sensors. And, similar to the brain, this creates a learning system. With each run, our knowledge of the state of the cells and the process grows,

and we can peer inside the black box. WePro has shown that it is possible to control bioprocesses online in real time with applications for the pharmaceutical medical field, in cell cultivation, and food production. In addition, this approach gives the added assurance of using knowledge-based process intelligence

to ensure the consistent product quality at all times. This opens up a range of possibilities to apply biological approaches in other manufacturing areas. Bringing together interdisciplinary, agile teams of partners from industry, small and medium-sized enterprises, and academia,

WePro has successfully shown what can be achieved by working together to combine expertise and perspectives.