Cell Culture Engineering XIX

April 27 – May 2, 2025
Tucson, Arizona, USA

Conference Organization

Conference Chairs

Michael Betenbaugh
Johns Hopkins University

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Cell Culture Engineering Conferences Series Steering Committee

Dana Andersen (Denali Therapeutics, USA)
John Aunins (Janis Biologics, USA)
Mike Betenbaugh (Johns Hopkins University, USA)
Barry Buckland (BiologicB LLC, USA)
Jeff Chalmers (The Ohio State University, USA)
Tim Charlebois (NIIMBL, USA)
Matt Croughan (Claymore Bio LLC, USA)
Chetan Goudar (Amgen, USA)
Peter Gray (University of Queensland, Australia)
Sarah Harcum (Clemson University, USA)
Wei-Shou Hu (University of Minnesota, USA)
Beth Junker (Bioprocess Advantage, USA)
Amine Kamen (McGill University, Canada)
Robert Kiss (UPSIDE Foods, USA)
Konstantin Konstantinov (Codiak Biosciences, USA)
Lynne Krummen (Vir, USA)
Kelvin Lee (University of Delaware, USA)
Mark Leonard (Allogen Therapeutics, USA)
Gargi Maheshwari (BMS, USA)
Laura Palomares (Instituto de Biotecnología, UNAM, Mexico)
Jamie Piret (University of British Columbia, Canada)
Octavio Ramirez (Instituto de Biotecnología UNAM, Mexico)
Anne Skaja Robinson (Carnegie Mellon University, USA)
Gene Schaefer (NIIMBL, USA)
Raghavan Venkat (AstraZeneca, USA)
Tongtong Wang (Roche, USA)
Jamey Young (Vanderbilt University, USA)
Weichang Zhou (WuXi Biologics, China)

Conference Sessions

Session 1: New Technologies and Approaches to Enhance Tech Transfer Efficiency and Product Understanding

Session Chairs: Henry Lin (Sanofi), Olivier Henry (Polytechnique Montreal Canada), Kara Calhoun (NGM Bio)

Successful execution of technology transfer and scale-up remain critical capabilities for the cell culture community today. Have our practices evolved to be more efficient in the last few decades? The complexity of manufacturing has increased significantly due, in part, to highly variable product volume demands, network diversity of internal and CMO capacity options, a wide-ranging spectrum of product modalities, the onset of new process technology and formats, and a constant pressure to be faster and more cost-effective.  To cope with these multitude of challenges, a reinvention of traditional technology transfer and scale-up is necessary. To this end, we are seeking topics for this session that address these challenges. Examples include adoption of advanced data analytics and AI driven approaches to aid in technology transfer, leveraging platform and prior knowledge, advances in scale-down model techniques and utilization, new technology tools for scale-up and technology transfer, and PAT for the support of scale-up, data-driven decisions and process understanding. Of particular interest are industrial case studies, adoption of emerging technologies (including continuous, integrated biomanufacturing), and new paradigms for technology transfer and scale-up.  

Session 2: Innovation in Cell Line Development, from Synthetic Biology to Integrated Process Development

Session Chairs: Kevin Smith (Asimov), Christina Alves (Takeda), Laura Segatori (Rice University)

Recent advances in vector engineering and genome editing/integration tools have revolutionized cell line development for biologic and viral vector therapeutics. These technologies, coupled with advancements in high-throughput screening strategies and the integration of modeling and machine learning into standard workflows, have accelerated the pace of therapeutics development.

This session will focus on the fundamental applications of cell and vector engineering to create recombinant cell lines for biologics and viral vector production with enhanced performance. Topics to be discussed include novel approaches and technologies for host cell engineering, genomic integration and complex vector design, along with innovative methods such as integrating automation, modeling and/or analytics into the clone generation, selection, and screening stages of cell line development.

Session 3: Systems Biology and Process Modeling for Digitalization of Bioprocessing

Session Chairs: Bhanu Mulukutla (Pfizer), Shawn Lawrence (Regeneron), Cleo Kontoravdi (Imperial College London), Dong-Yup Lee (Sungkyunkwan University)

Systems biology, which includes use of omics technologies integrated with mathematical modeling, provides a systematic way to study and develop strategies to understand, design, optimize and control complex biological systems including cell culture processes. In the last decade, the precision of omics technologies has significantly improved and so did the use of such technologies to study process development challenges.  In the same timeframe, substantial efforts have gone into developing process models or digital twins allowing experiments to be conducted in silico augmenting or significantly reducing wet lab work. This session aims to focus on such studies that demonstrate value proposition or tangible outcomes of employing systems biology or process modeling.  We envisage that this session will include (but not be confined to) three broad area: (1) studies on the integration of omics technologies including genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, fluxomics, to study animal cell cultures systems and design cell and process engineering strategies to improve productivity and product quality; (2) Studies on model-aided process scale-up and transfer, e.g. through the integration of computational fluid dynamics; and (3) studies on model-enabled knowledge transfer across cell lines, products, and modalities. While mechanistic, empirical/data-driven (AI/ML) and hybrid modelling approaches are all in scope, emphasis will be placed on experimental demonstration of added value achieved through employing model-based tools for analysis and/or optimization. We are particularly interested in advancements in the use of modeling to support regulatory filings.

Session 4: Product Quality Modulation and Real-Time Controls in Cell Culture

Session Chairs: Sanjeev Ahuja (Merck), Maciek Antoniewicz (University of Michigan)

Understanding of the relationship between cell culture process control and desirable product quality attributes in protein therapeutics has matured significantly over the past several years. Sophistication in control strategies, analytical outputs and models that link the two has advanced both at the laboratory scale as well as demonstration of implementation and benefit at GMP scale. This session will capture advances in the area of process understanding and process control with the focus on achieving desired product quality attributes.  Additionally, topics will include state-of-the-art Process Analytical Technology (PAT) and tools that allow feedback control of the upstream processes, as well as work that demonstrates implementation of these PAT tools in a clinical or commercial facility. Process modeling and machine learning tools to analyze high-dimensional data sets toward heightened level of process understanding, quality, and control will be of interest. Finally, any novel approaches to cell culture process control strategies to modulate product expression and quality will also be considered for this session. 

Session 5: Complex and Emerging Modalities: Opportunities and Challenges

Session Chairs: Yao-Ming Huang (Eli Lilly), Latonia Harris (Janssen), Mark Blenner (University of Delaware)

This session will highlight recent bioprocessing progress beyond the well-established protein therapeutics (e.g., mAbs), emphasizing production of viral vectors, vaccines, antibody drug conjugates (ADC), bi- and multispecific antibodies, and other emerging therapeutic modalities. The present surge of clinical trials that rely on viral vectors for gene delivery indicates that gene therapy is becoming a viable therapeutic modality and may soon provide cures for a broad range of human diseases. However, significant strides are needed in vector production process efficiencies and industrialization to deliver COGs for small orphan indications that support reimbursement rates acceptable to both sponsors and payers. Progress on this front is also needed for indications with larger patient populations and/or large doses to meet the demand for these therapeutics.  In addition, there is still the need for next generation vaccines and ADC that are more broadly effective and safe. This session encourages submission of abstracts describing innovative work enhancing viral vector productivity and robustness through vector engineering, host cell line optimization and/or process development as well as abstracts describing innovations in the production of next generation vaccines, oncolytic viruses, exosomes and other non-viral therapeutic delivery systems.

Session 6: Evolution of Cell Culture Technologies for New Applications

Session Chairs: Mercedes Segura (ElevateBio), Andy Snowden (Johnson & Johnson), Ioscani Jimenez del Val (University College Dublin)

This session will focus on the expanding breadth of cell culture technologies beyond the well-established arena of therapeutic biologics production; into new areas that have emerged within the last decade to manufacture products of higher complexity. 

In autologous and allogeneic cell therapies, engineered primary cells are the direct therapeutic agent following ex vivo genetic engineering and/or expansion.  The first wave of these autologous cell-based therapeutics has shown transformational efficacy and breakthrough curative potential for oncology and high potential for autoimmune and other disorders with high unmet need.  Addressing the limitations of establishing robust CQA and lowering COGs, along with the emergence of allogeneic ‘off the shelf’ therapies, including iPSC derived approaches, will enable us to realize the potential of these lifechanging therapeutics. 

This session will also encourage discussion of new applications utilizing cell culture, such as the development of cultured foods and tissues to meet sustainable development goals. Additionally alternative protein production approaches; such as cell free production systems and alternative hosts with significant advantages vs the current broadly applied CHO systems will be a topic of discussion. 

This session encourages the submission of abstracts describing innovative approaches towards engineering, processes and technologies used to manufacture these novel products.   Abstracts related to advancing cell engineering, efficient ex vivo gene modification, controlling / modifying cell state and differentiation, improved cell selection/enrichment, advances enabling more efficient cell expansion, improvements to bioprocessing via automation, together with approaches to enable reduced production time and COGs are welcomed.

Call For Abstracts

Detailed session descriptions are available above.  Please use these descriptions to pre-select up to three sessions where you believe your work fits best.

Abstracts (one page maximum) that include specific results and conclusions to allow a scientific assessment of the proposed oral presentation are invited.

Abstracts must be submitted electronically and prepared according to this template:  docx or doc.

Oral abstract submission deadline: September 27, 2024
Poster abstract submission deadline: October 11, 2024

Create an account and/or log-in to submit your abstract.

Abstracts for all presentations will be made available to conference participants prior to the start of the conference.

Past Conferences in this Series

Cell Culture Engineering I (1988)
Anthony Sinskey and Wei-Shou Hu
Palm Coast, Florida

Cell Culture Engineering II (1990)
Anthony Sinskey and Wei-Shou Hu
Santa Barbara, California

Cell Culture Engineering III (1992)
Michael Flickinger
Palm Coast, Florida

Cell Culture Engineering IV (1994)
Barry Buckland, Theodora Bibila, Wei-Shou Hu
San Diego, California

Cell Culture Engineering V (1996)
Barry Buckland, Theodora Bibila
San Diego, California

Cell Culture Engineering VI (1998)
Jeff Chalmers, Rob Arathoon
San Diego, California

Cell Culture Engineering VII (2000)
Bill Miller, Richard Schoenfeld
Santa Fe, New Mexico

Cell Culture Engineering VIII (2002)
Mike Betenbaugh and John Aunins
Snowmass, Colorado

Cell Culture Engineering IX (2004)
Octavio Ramirez and Lynne Krummen
Riviera Maya Cancun, Mexico

Cell Culture Engineering X (2006)
James Piret and Konstantin Konstantinov
Whistler, British Columbia, Canada

Cell Culture Engineering XI (2008)
Peter Gray and Carole Heath
Coolum, Queensland, Australia

Cell Culture Engineering XII (2010)
Kelvin Lee and Dana Andersen
Banff, Alberta, Canada

Cell Culture Engineering XIII (2012)
Matt Croughan and Mark Leonard
Scottsdale, Arizona

Cell Culture Engineering XIV (2014)
Amine Kamen and Weichang Zhou
Quebec City, Quebec, Canada

Cell Culture Engineering XV (2016)
Robert Kiss, Sarah Harcum and Jeff Chalmers
La Quinta, California

Cell Culture Engineering XVI (2018)
Anne Skaja Robinson, Raghavan Venkat and Gene Schaefer
Tampa, Florida

Cell Culture Engineering XVII (canceled)
Tim Charlebois, Jamey Young and Gargi Maheshwari

Cell Culture Engineering XVIII (2023)
Chetan Goudar, Laura Palomares, Tongtong Wang

Cell Culture Engineering Award

This prestigious award sponsored by Engineering Conferences International recognizes outstanding contributions to the field of Cell Culture and is given bi-annually at the Cell Culture Engineering conference. Former recipients: 

Wei-Shou Hu (2002)
Eleftherios T. Papoutsakis (2004)
W. Robert Arathoon (2006)
Martin Fussenegger (2008)
Michael J. Betenbaugh (2010)
James M. Piret (2012)
Jeffrey J. Chalmers (2014)
Konstantin B. Konstantinov (2016)
William Miller (2018)
Manuel Carrondo (2021)

Nominations for the 2025 Cell Culture Award will be accepted until January 31, 2025.  The nomination guidelines may be downloaded here.

Martin Sinacore Young Investigator Award

History of Awardees

This award, sponsored by Biogen Idec and Engineering Conferences International, is in memory of Martin Sinacore whose career in the biotechnology industry spanned over 25 years.  Over the years, Marty established himself as a thought leader in the industry and a champion of constantly innovating and adopting new technologies to facilitate the delivery of life changing medicines to patients.   Marty’s influence can also be seen in the numerous junior scientists who have trained and grown under his guidance.  

This award was first presented at the Cell Culture Engineering Conference at Quebec City in May 2014

Previous winners of this award:

Colin Clarke (Dublin City University, Ireland)
Corinne Hoesli (McGill University, Canada)
Huong Le (Amgen)
Amanda M. Lewis (Bristol-Myers Squibb)
Pooja Jambunathan (Merck)
Madhuresh Sumit (Pfizer).

Call For Nominations

Engineering Conferences International and Biogen are pleased to announce that nominations for the Martin Sinacore Outstanding Young Investigator Award are now open.  The award recipient will be a promising young scientist whose work shows exceptional promise in the field of Bioprocessing.  The award encompasses a financial award to cover the conference registration fee for the 2025 Cell Culture Engineering Conference and the opportunity to present their research at the conference. 

Eligibility:  Any graduate student or post-doc is eligible as is any researcher with fewer than 5 years of industrial or academic experience.  Individuals who meet these criteria are invited to submit an abstract to be considered for presentation at the 2025 Cell Culture Engineering Conference, curriculum vitae and two supporting letters of recommendation.

Submission of Nominations: Nominations will be accepted from September 1, 2024 through January 15, 2025.  The abstract should be submitted through the normal ECI procedure but a copy of it should accompany the curriculum vita and letters of recommendation. 

Please email the nomination package to:

barbara@engconfintl.org – subject line should read: Martin Sinacore Award Nomination for (name of nominee)

Sponsorship Opportunities

Package A: $2,500

• Company recognized on sponsor list in program 

Package B: $3,500 

• Company recognized on sponsor list in program 
• Company logo displayed on screen between sessions 

Package C: $5,000

• Company recognized on sponsor list in program 
• Company logo displayed on screen between sessions 
• ½ page ad in pdf program 

Package D: $7,500 

• Company recognized on sponsor list in program 
• Company logo displayed on screen between sessions 
• ½ page ad in pdf program 
• Company logo and link on Conference web site 
• Poster session sponsorship 

Package E: $10,000

• Company recognized on sponsor list in program 
• Company logo displayed on screen between sessions 
• Full page ad in pdf program 
• Company logo and link on conference website 
• Workshop sponsorship with recognition in program, app and on workshop opening slide 

Package F: $15,000 

• Company recognized on sponsor list in program 
• Company logo displayed on screen between sessions 
• Full page ad in pdf program 
• Company logo and link on conference website 
• Scientific session sponsorship with recognition in program, app and on session opening slide 

Package G: $20,000 or above

• Company recognized on sponsor list in program 
• Company logo displayed on screen between sessions 
• Full page ad in pdf program 
• Company logo and link on conference website 
• Scientific session sponsorship with recognition in program, app and on session opening slide – Sponsorship of banquet 

For additional information or questions, please contact: 

Kevin M. Korpics 
Associate Director, Engineering Conferences International 
Kevin@engconfintl.org

Please note that none of the sponsor packages include free or discounted registration for attendees from sponsor companies.

Venue Information

The beauty of the Sonoran Desert as well as the realization of how verdant and diverse a living desert can be must be seen to be believed.  Located at the heart of the Sonoran Desert is southern Arizona, the Tucson area has been inhabited for ore than 4,000 years.  Although the city of Tucson wasn’t officially founded until 1775, the Tohono O’odham Nation and the Pascua Yaqui Tribe have occupied the region for centuries.  The metro area is at an elevation of 2,643 feet, surrounded by five mountain ranges.

Tucson, which boasts of 350 days of sunshine each year, was chosen as the first UNESCO City of Gastronomy in the United States.  It boasts several James Beard award-winning chefs and restaurants, multiple taco trucks, a wide variety of international restaurants, and is the undisputed Mexican food capital of the United Stated because of the region’s rich agricultural heritage, thriving food traditions, and culinary distinctiveness. Tucson dining is a unique experience, one that reflects the culture of the Sonoran Desert.

Although Tucson’s fantastic weather, national parks and forests and desert provide the perfect environment for tons of outdoor recreational activities, this city of half a million people also has its share of history and culture. Tucson has turn-of-the-century architecture, historic neighborhoods, a wide range of museums, historic sites, hiking trails, and some of the most unique flora and fauna in the world. The Mission San Xavier del Bac, a still-functioning 18th-century mission, is considered one of the most beautiful in the U.S., Tucson, with its distinctive Western flavor, is where the Native American culture meets Mexican and Spanish colonial history. There is also a college-town atmosphere, thanks to the University of Arizona, which has its own share of museums and a science center.

Among the attractions are:

Saguaro (pronounced sah-WAH-row) National Park (https://www.nps.gov/sagu/index.htm)  – Bordering Tucson on the east and west, where the saguaro cactus reigns supreme, sometimes towering to heights of 50 feet, the park is not to be missed. Native American stories say that the saguaros used to be people and you can see that some look like people with arms growing out of their trunks.

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (https://www.desertmuseum.org/visit/) – The word “museum” is almost a misnomer as the 98 acres are a combination of a zoo, aquarium, botanical garden and art museum.  There are 230 animal species displayed in their natural habitat surrounded by 1,200 types of plants.

Mission San Xavier del Bac https://sanxaviermission.org/) – A National Historic Landmark, this Catholic mission was founded in 1692 and built in 1783 about ten miles south of downtown Tucson.  It is generally considered the best example of Spanish Colonial architecture in the U.S. The interior and exterior are both breathtaking.

Pima Air and Space Museum (https://pimaair.org/) – With a collection of over 300 aircraft with examples throughout the history of flight, this is one of the world’s largest aerospace museums.

Sabino Canyon – Located in the Coronado National Forest, Sabino Canyon is close to the city.  The Catalina Mountains rise before you and rocky gorges and canyons are accessible. A tram is available to take visitors into the canyon and riders can get off at any stop to access trailheads, pools and picnic areas.

Kit Peak National Observatory (https://kpno.noirlab.edu/about) – Tucson has laws and regulations in place to keep its night skies as dark as possible.  KPNO hosts the facilities of consortia that, between them, operate more than a dozen optical telescopes and two radio telescopes. It is 55 miles from Tucson. There are daily tours and a nighttime program where visitors can watch the sunset and take in the stars. Visits must be reserved well in advance.

The New York Times featured Tucson in September 2018 in their Travel Section

Tucson Tourism offers a free digital copy of the Tucson Official Travel Guide.  (https://issuu.com/visittucson/docs/tucson_official_travel_guide_2023)

The conference will be held at the JW Marriott Starr Pass Tucson Resort and Spa (3800 West Starr Pass Boulevard, Tucson, AZ 85745) that is set within Tucson Mountain Park.  The smoke-free hotel offers a mountaintop setting with multi-level swimming pools, waterslides, lazy rivers and fountains as well as spectacular views and a landscape laced with nature trails.  The rooms feature flat-screen TVs, Wi-Fi, pillow-top mattresses, desks and coffeemakers. The resort has three golf courses, a driving range, chipping & putting greens, a Hashani full service spa, and a state-of-the art exercise room.  There is self and valet parking as well as charging stations for electric cars.

Each day begins with the Mitakuye Oyasin  (pronounced MEE-TAH-KAY AWE-SIN) at 7 am on the Salud Terrace.  This traditional Native American ceremony and unique Sonoran Desert experience begins with the traditional burning of sage and a Native American flute serenade

A morning hike is offered daily at 7:30 am.  

Each evening at sunset the hotel welcomes guess to gather on the Salud Terrace to watch the sunset and experience their nightly tradition – the Tequila toast – where they feature one of our more than 150 artisan tequilas and a complimentary toast: “Arriba, Abajo, al Centro, al Dentro, Salud!” 

The Signature Grill features local and regional favorites inspired by Native American, Mexican and cowboy traditions.  The Primo offers Italian cuisine influenced by French, Mediterranean and Spanish flavors. The Catalina Barbeque Co & Sports Bar, located at the Starr Pass Gold Club, has barbeque with a southwestern twist.  The lobby bar offers over 100 tequilas, creative margaritas and cantina fare. There is also a Starbucks on site.

General Information about ECI

Engineering Conferences International (ECI) is a not-for-profit, global engineering conferences program, originally established in 1962 that provides opportunities for the exploration of problems and issues of concern to engineers and scientists from many disciplines.

The format of the conference provides morning and late afternoon or evening sessions in which major presentations are made. Poster sessions will be scheduled for evening discussion as well. Available time is included during the afternoons for ad hoc meetings, informal discussions, and/or recreation. This format is designed to enhance rapport among participants and promote dialogue on the development of the meeting. We believe the conferences have been instrumental in generating ideas and disseminating information to a greater extent than is possible through more conventional forums.

All participants are expected both to attend the entire conference and to contribute actively to the discussions. The recording/photographing of lectures and presentations is forbidden. As ECI conferences take place in an informal atmosphere, casual clothing is the usual attire.

Smoking is prohibited at ECI conferences and conference functions.