Integrated Continuous Biomanufacturing VII
2025 ICB Lifetime Achievement Award
ECI is delighted to announce that Professor Alois Jungbauer has been honored with the ICB Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing his extraordinary contributions to advancing the science, technology, and global adoption of integrated continuous biomanufacturing.
For more than four decades, Professor Jungbauer has been a trailblazer in the field, known for his visionary leadership, pioneering innovations, and unwavering dedication to education and collaboration. A professor of Downstream Processing and former Head of the Institute of Bioprocess Science and Engineering at BOKU, Vienna, his influence spans both academia and industry. He has held adjunct positions across the globe and shaped the next generation of bioprocess engineers through his mentorship of over 90 doctoral students.
Professor Jungbauer was among the earliest advocates for continuous bioprocessing, transforming batch-based paradigms into streamlined, efficient continuous systems. Notably, his breakthrough in continuous virus inactivation demonstrated inactivation within one minute — a milestone that unlocked new frontiers in integrated downstream processing.
His work on residence time distribution (RTD) modeling laid the foundation for real-time process control and product traceability, tools now aligned with global regulatory guidelines and widely adopted across the industry. These contributions underscore his role not only as an innovator but as a global thought leader committed to enabling real-time release and process automation.
Beyond the lab, Professor Jungbauer has served as a tireless ambassador for ICB across the world. As a founding member of the European Society of Biochemical Engineering Sciences (ESBES) and a consistent leader in the ICB conference series, he has shaped the strategic vision of the community through cross-continental collaboration and knowledge exchange.
In his leadership roles at the Austrian Center of Industrial Biotechnology (ACIB) and the CODOBIO and CAARE doctoral networks, Professor Jungbauer has fostered international cooperation to address critical challenges in vaccine delivery, gene therapy, and sustainable manufacturing.
His scientific excellence is reflected in an impressive body of work: over 400 peer-reviewed publications, 14,000+ citations, and numerous patented technologies that address both performance and environmental sustainability. His contributions to buffer recycling, nanomembrane development, and integrated virus purification stand as a testament to his enduring impact on the field.
Professor Jungbauer’s legacy is defined not only by his prolific output but by his commitment to building a better future through biomanufacturing — one that is more efficient, accessible, and sustainable for all.
Please join us in celebrating Professor Alois Jungbauer, a true pioneer, educator, and global leader whose contributions have shaped the past, present, and future of integrated continuous biomanufacturing.
2025 ICB Award
The ICB Award Committee is pleased to announce that Dr. Weichang Zhou of WuXi Biologics, has been awarded the 2025 Integrated Continuous Biomanufacturing (ICB) Award.
Dr. Zhou has made outstanding contributions to the field of continuous bioprocessing over a career spanning more than three decades. His work at Genzyme (later Sanofi) and WuXi Biologics has pioneered the development of integrated continuous bioprocessing. Dr. Zhou's remarkable achievements in his bioprocessing career include nearly ninety publications, sixteen patents, and numerous awards. He has also trained thousands of engineers and scientists worldwide, advancing the progress of continuous bioprocessing. His leadership and dedication to the profession are fully reflected in his innovative work and passionate commitment to the bioprocessing community.
During his time at Genzyme, Dr. Zhou led teams to characterize a series of legacy long-term perfusion processes and improve the productivity of CHO cells producing recombinant enzymes by feeding trace elements to enhance cell growth and metabolism. His teams developed next-generation high productivity perfusion cell culture processes for manufacturing recombinant enzymes and monoclonal antibodies, and implemented integrated continuous processing for the production of protein biologics.
At WuXi Biologics, Dr. Zhou has significantly advanced the field with the WuXiUPTM platform, which integrates intensified continuous cell culture and direct product capture chromatography, offering superior scalability, robustness, and purification yield. This platform accelerates biologics development and manufacturing, reducing costs and enhancing productivity. WuXi Biologics’ first end-to-end continuous drug substance manufacturing demonstrated the platform's benefits, achieving productivity of 100-120 g/L in 25 days, a ten-fold improvement over traditional fed-batch methods, with downstream yields of 80-90%. The continuous capture reduced Protein A resin use by 90%, lowering clinical manufacturing costs. WuXiUPTM has been implemented in over 40 projects, with three products approved in China and one (Pombiliti™) approved by EMA, MHRA, and FDA.
His indelible contributions to continuous bioprocessing, revolutionizing the biopharmaceutical industry are summarized below in more details.
1. Development of the WuXiUP™ Platform
Dr. Zhou led the development of the WuXiUP™ platform, a game - changing innovation in continuous bioprocessing at WuXi Biologics. This integrated platform combines continuous cell culture with continuous direct product capture. By intensifying the process, it enables the continuous manufacturing of nearly all types of biologics. For example, it allows 2,000 - liter disposable bioreactors to achieve productivity on par with traditional 20,000 - liter stainless - steel bioreactors. This not only significantly boosts productivity but also substantially reduces the cost of goods.
2. Process Optimization in Continuous Cell Culture
Dr. Zhou optimized key parameters in continuous cell culture, such as culture temperature, basal media, and perfusion rate. In a case study of monoclonal antibody production via the WuXiUP™ process, by carefully evaluating and adjusting these parameters, the process was enhanced and made more robust. He also recognized the importance of addressing the instability of certain proteins in continuous culture. For instance, when dealing with enzymes that are prone to degradation, he pioneered the use of continuous perfusion culture over extended periods (e.g., up to 60 days in some cases) to ensure stable production. This approach effectively solved the problem of protein instability during the production process.
3. Integration of Downstream Processing in Continuous Bioprocessing
To improve the overall efficiency of continuous bioprocessing, Dr. Zhou focused on integrating downstream processing. He designed a continuous dual - pore size hollow fiber cell separation and product harvest system. This system was specifically developed to complement the increased harvest volume from upstream production in continuous bioprocessing. In practical applications, this innovation led to a significant increase in protein concentration and a reduction in harvest volume. Additionally, in the downstream purification process, continuous capture techniques were implemented. This not only reduced the demand for Protein A in batches but also significantly decreased the cost during clinical production, making the entire continuous bioprocess more cost - effective.
4. Application of Process Analytical Technology (PAT) in Continuous Bioprocessing
Dr. Zhou was also a pioneer in applying PAT in continuous bioprocessing. He integrated Raman spectroscopy and machine learning to create PAT platforms. These platforms enabled real - time monitoring of continuous bioprocesses, allowing for the detection of product aggregation and fragmentation levels during the production process. They also facilitated the automatic control of viable cell density. By providing real - time data, these PAT platforms supported better process development and significantly accelerated the CMC development progress. This real - time monitoring and control ability is crucial for maintaining the quality and consistency of products in continuous bioprocessing, ensuring that the final biologics meet high - quality standards
Additionally, Dr. Zhou has actively contributed to the organization of key industry conferences including the Integrated Continuous Biomanufacturing. He presented his work a few times at this conference and served on the Organizing Committee for both ICB III and ICB VII, helping to shape the agenda and facilitate discussions that have driven the field forward.
We are honored to present Dr. Weichang Zhou with the 2025 ICB Award in recognition of his outstanding achievements and leadership in the field of continuous bioprocessing.
Congratulations, Dr. Zhou!