Raymond Lam, BSc
Associate Director
Workforce Development and Training
ISCT Head Office
From March 29 to April 3, 2024, ISCT in partnership with CMaT hosted the first-ever hands-on Laboratory Bootcamp for Cell Therapy Biomanufacturing at the Georgia Institute of Technology. During the week-long course, participants worked at the Georgia Institute of Technology Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience GLP facility and the Marcus Center for Therapeutic Cell Characterization and Manufacturing GMP facility under the guidance of Linda Kippner, PhD, Senior Research Scientist and Nina Li, PhD, Research Scientist.
Throughout the week, participants attended immersive sessions in both Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), equipping them with essential knowledge and skills crucial to GMP cell product manufacturing. Including:
- GMP and GLP Lab Operations and Safety Best Practices: Learning to safely operate state-of-the-art laboratory equipment in compliance with GLP and GMP standards.
- T Cell and MSC Processing: Initiating, maintaining, expanding, and cryopreserving therapeutic cells.
- Cell Manufacturing Workflow: From scaling up cell cultures to the critical stages of product release.
- Working with Bioreactors: Maintaining T cells in cutting-edge bioreactor systems.
- Advanced Testing Procedures: Performing essential cell characterization and product safety tests, including viability, sterility, mycoplasma detection, and endotoxin testing.
- Metabolic and Characterization Proficiency: Monitoring cell metabolites like glucose and lactate and mastering characterization assays such as flow cytometry and fluorescent microscopy.
L-R Emilia Jagura, Alejandro Sica, Murali Kodali, Linda Kippner, Raymond L, Shalu Suri, Nina Li
|
Day 1: Diving into Safety and Best Practices
The bootcamp kicked off with Linda Kippner and Nina Li guiding participants through the essentials of laboratory safety and best practices at a Bioengineering and Bioscience GLP facility. This foundational session allowed participants to confidently and safely handle laboratory equipment before beginning our hands-on sessions!
|
|
|
|
Day 2: Working with Cell Culture and Ensuring Purity
On the second day, participants took a hands-on approach, thawing T cells into their prepared culture media. To ensure the cells were viable and contamination-free, they conducted a series of critical tests including cell viability assay, mycoplasma and endotoxin testing.
|
|
Day 3: Advancing Cell Cultivation Techniques
On the third day, participants ensured the T cells were healthy before moving on to passage, expand and cryopreserve MSCs.
|
|
|
|
Day 4: Graduating to the GMP Facility
After mastering the basics in the GLP lab, participants moved to work in the Marcus Center for Therapeutic Cell Characterization and Manufacturing GMP facility. Here, they explored the full cell product manufacturing process, from scaling up cultures to preparing for product release and began the process of culturing T cells in a bioreactor.
|
|
Day 5: Mastering Cell Analysis Techniques
On the last day of the course, participants focused their lab work on evaluating T cells cultured in bioreactor and MSCs. They employed advanced methods like flow cytometry, apoptosis assays, cell tracking, and metabolite monitoring to assess cell quality and function.
|
|
#TrainingandDevelopment