Exploring Automation in Analytical Technologies that Facilitate Process Development

Among the challenges in developing a biomanufacturing process is the process analytical technology (PAT) used in that process, notes Nicolas Pivet, vice-president and general manager, Technology Solutions at Cytiva. In an interview with BioPharm International®, Pivet discusses how automation benefits process development, especially when applied to analytics.

“I would say digital documentation is always helping with fast regulatory filing and tech transfer,” Pivet says, adding that, “What we've been experiencing in Cytiva is that many of our customers actually use a platform approach for process development, which is great for speed, but sometimes is not optimized for everything.”

“The introduction of recipe-driven equipment in process development has really enabled 24/7 utilization of labs, so, it's really enhancing the throughput of your lab staff,” Pivet says. The scientist, therefore, with the help of automation, can program lab equipment to rapidly execute experiments and collect samples. “What we've been seeing as well is that SCADA—the supervisory control and data acquisition system—is a layer that allows equipment information to be viewed together. That's why, in Cytiva over the past seven years, we've been developing our Figurate automation offering, which is a wide range of automation solutions and libraries, from historian to control systems with Unicorn [a control software] to SCADA with Wonderware [an automation platform] and to DCS [distributed control system] with Delta V and PlantPAx [types of DCS].”

In the area of PAT, Pivet feels that the bio/pharma industry needs to move faster. In the sensors space, for example, P80 sensors have been seeing an emergence of improved sensing technology. “Measuring CQAs [critical quality attributes], for instance, inline or online is really the holy grail of the biopharma industry right now,” Pivet says. “…The industry needs to get there in being able to measure CQAs inline and helping with real-time release, or right-time release, of the drug product.”

Click above for the full interview.

About the speaker

Nicolas Pivet, Vice-President and General Manager, Technology Solutions, Cytiva

Nicolas Pivet is vice-president and general manager, Technology Solutions, at Cytiva, where his ability to find the right creative solution—whether for customers, or when writing songs—is at the root of his delivery-focused mindset. Innovation is second nature to Pivet, which allows him to bring fresh approaches to meeting customer needs. He is a seasoned leader, with laser-sharp customer focus and experience across software and hardware R&D, program management, strategy, service operations, and commercial. Since 2023, Pivet has led Cytiva’s global Automation, Digital and Learning Solutions Business Unit, developing digital solutions enabling fast, flexible, and reliable process development and manufacturing for the biopharma industry. He also leads the Manufacturing Capacity Solutions unit, where Cytiva supports customers with powerful and innovative end-to-end solutions that transform biomanufacturing.