BioProS: Bio-intelligent production sensor for measuring viral activity

In the BioProS project, an innovative biohybrid sensor technology is being developed that can monitor cell-based viral infection cycles in real time, thus enabling highly-efficient production processes with inline quality control. Optical sensors are used in combination with cell-based measurement principles.

The production of viral vectors involves many expensive and error-prone handling procedures. What is needed is a new procedure that simplifies these processes. In the BioProS project, a biointelligent sensor for measuring viral activity for the production of therapeutics is being researched. To this end, optical sensors are combined with cell-based measurement principles.

Fraunhofer IPA is the overall coordinator of the project, which is funded with more than six million euros as part of the HORIZON Europe program. Among other things, a flexible, automated platform technology is being developed in the Fraunhofer IPA subproject to establish the measurement principle for viral infectivity and to perform multiparametric analyses using living cells as units of measure. This will speed up process development and render it more efficient. The platform's flexibility makes it possible to adapt the development of cell-based sensors to several specific substances and virus types. This paves the way for application in different industries and manufacturing environments. Since such a platform technology is highly complex, numerous European partners from different disciplines such as biology, engineering, equipment manufacturing and computer science are collaborating.

BioProS is making a significant contribution to sustainable and resilient manufacturing processes in the EU.