Smart Biotech Scientist | Master Bioprocess CMC Development, Biologics Manufacturing & Scale-up, Cell Culture Innovation

For decades, chromatographic purification has made use of bead-based diffusion - a reliable but limiting approach, especially as new modalities like gene therapies, mRNA, and viral vectors push the boundaries of what’s possible. But what if the future of downstream processing lies not in incremental improvement, but in a dramatic reimagining - from slow diffusion to rapid convection? In this episode, David Brühlmann meets Scott Wheelwright, Chairman, CTO and Co-Founder of BioChromatographix International (BCI). Scott brings decades of expertise in biopharmaceutical development and manufacturing. Prior to BCI, he co-founded Biolnno Bioscience, a leading CDMO, and co-founded Innovent Biologics, one of China’s foremost biotechnology companies. Here are three compelling reasons to tune into this episode: * Breaking the Mold of Purification: BCI’s AXISFLOW™ Platform moves beyond bead-based processes, using advanced 3D-printed monoliths that enable convective flow, making purification of large biomolecules and viruses faster, more efficient, and better suited for next-generation therapies. * Innovation Starts with Imagination (and Measurement): True progress in bioprocessing often hinges not on what we can make, but on what we can accurately measure and imagine. Scott reminds us that advances in analytical testing and creative thinking are the real engines of change. * Biotech Demands More than Great Science: Success isn’t just about inventing; it’s about building with the end-user in mind. Scott’s journey highlights the critical role of customer-centric product development, cross-disciplinary teamwork, and regulatory strategy - especially in a conservative, risk-averse industry. Curious how shifting from diffusion to convection could reshape your purification workflow? Listen to this episode and discover how to unlock efficiency, cut costs, and deliver therapies that might otherwise remain out of reach. Connect with Scott Wheelwright: LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/scottmwheelwright [https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottmwheelwright/] Website: www.biochromatographix.com [https://biochromatographix.com/] Curious about chromatography? Tune in to hear what our previous guests had to say! * Episodes 119-120: Innovating Protein Purification Using Synthetic Organelles and AI with Haotian Guo * Episodes 61-62: Magnetic Bead Technology: The New Era in Downstream Processing with Nils Brechmann * Episodes 37-38: How to Master Downstream: A Deep Dive Into Bioprocessing Purification with Wei Zhang Next step: Book a free consultation to help you get started on any questions you may have about bioprocessing analytics: https://bruehlmann-consulting.com/call [https://bruehlmann-consulting.com/call] Develop bioprocessing technologies better, faster, at a fraction of the cost with our 1:1 Strategy Call: The quickest and easiest way to excel biotech technology development. Book your call at https://stan.store/SmartBiotech [https://stan.store/SmartBiotech] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2263581/support]

For years, disease diagnosis and treatment have focused on a few biomarkers, overlooking thousands of vital biological signals. Despite biotech advances, most therapies are still based on limited data, missing countless breakthroughs. Multiomics changes that. By analyzing tens of thousands of proteins, metabolites, and lipids, it reveals hidden insights, paving the way for smarter, faster, and more effective medical discoveries. In this must-listen episode, David Brühlmann welcomes Mo Jain, founder and CSO of Sapient, a pioneering force in bringing multiomic platforms out of academia and into the heart of drug development. A physician-scientist by training and a visionary entrepreneur by choice, Mo’s journey spans decades at the cutting edge of analytical technologies, culminating in the creation of ultra-high-throughput systems that analyze up to 20,000 biomarkers in a single run for real-world impact. Here are three reasons why this episode needs to be on your playlist: * Multiomics at Scale: Mo shares how his team at Sapient turbocharged mass spectrometry, enabling simultaneous measurement of thousands of molecules, transforming routine diagnostics and making previously unimaginable insights accessible to scientists everywhere. * Turning Data into Action: Generating vast data is only half the battle. Mo explains how Sapient developed advanced biocomputational teams and frameworks to extract actionable answers, guiding drug developers to faster, smarter decisions and helping avoid the pitfalls that cripple so many omics projects. * The Future Is Personalized and Sooner Than You Think: From dramatically earlier disease detection to truly personalized therapies, Mo paints an optimistic picture of a coming era where AI, multiomics, and new therapeutic modalities rapidly accelerate both discovery and delivery, reshaping how biotech companies tackle even the toughest diseases. Ready to break out of the 20-biomarker rut and see what 20,000 data points can reveal? Tune in to discover how you can harness multiomics in your own research and hear Mo’s advice for scientists and entrepreneurs venturing beyond the bench. Connect with Mo Jain: LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mo-jain-md-phd-373895ba [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mo-jain-md-phd-373895ba/] Website: www.sapient.bio [http://www.sapient.bio] Company LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sapientbio [https://www.linkedin.com/company/sapientbio] Next step: Book a free consultation to help you get started on any questions you may have about bioprocessing analytics: https://bruehlmann-consulting.com/call [https://bruehlmann-consulting.com/call] Develop bioprocessing technologies better, faster, at a fraction of the cost with our 1:1 Strategy Call: The quickest and easiest way to excel biotech technology development. Book your call at https://stan.store/SmartBiotech [https://stan.store/SmartBiotech] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2263581/support]

What if the secret to truly personalized precision medicine lies not in your genetic code, but in your zip code? For years, biotech has focused on genomics to explain disease and drug response, but DNA only accounts for a fraction of the story. The real breakthrough? Multi-omics: the large-scale analysis of proteins, metabolites, and lipids, powered by advanced mass spectrometry and AI, offering a fuller picture of human health. In this episode, David Brühlmann meets Mo Jain, founder and CSO of Sapient, a leader in multi-omics analytics. With over two decades of experience across physiology, biomedicine, and computational biology, Mo has been at the forefront of developing scalable multi-omics technologies that are changing the way we predict, diagnose, and treat disease. From leading an academic lab to building a pioneering biotech company, Mo’s journey reflects a passion for uncovering the hidden 80–90% of disease risk that lies beyond our genes. Here are three reasons you’ll want to listen to this episode: * Your Environment Matters More Than Your Genes: Mo explains why your zip code is a stronger predictor of your health than your genetic code, challenging the industry’s long-held beliefs and opening new avenues for disease prevention and risk assessment. * Multi-omics Disrupts Drug Development: Discover how integrating thousands of biological data points can revolutionize drug discovery by identifying novel targets, better predicting drug response, and accelerating therapeutic breakthroughs that were previously out of reach. * Big Data Finally Becomes Actionable: Thanks to rapid advances in mass spectrometry and computational power, scientists can now make sense of overwhelming volumes of multi-omic data, turning what was once information overload into actionable insights for diagnostics and drug development. Ready to think beyond your genes? The biotech revolution is here, and it starts in your neighborhood. Connect with Mo Jain: LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mo-jain-md-phd-373895ba [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mo-jain-md-phd-373895ba/] Website: www.sapient.bio [http://www.sapient.bio] Company LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sapientbio [https://www.linkedin.com/company/sapientbio] Next step: Book a free consultation to help you get started on any questions you may have about bioprocessing analytics: https://bruehlmann-consulting.com/call [https://bruehlmann-consulting.com/call] Develop bioprocessing technologies better, faster, at a fraction of the cost with our 1:1 Strategy Call: The quickest and easiest way to excel biotech technology development. Book your call at https://stan.store/SmartBiotech [https://stan.store/SmartBiotech] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2263581/support]

The promise of generative AI in pharma and biotech is huge, but it's also fraught with complexity, especially when it comes to integrating these systems into highly regulated environments. From monitoring evolving guidelines to balancing operational efficiency and data integrity, the journey from hype to real-world impact is filled with both opportunity and skepticism. In this episode, David Brühlmann sits down with Abhijeet Satwekar, Innovation Manager at Merck Healthcare’s Global Analytical Development. Abhijeet has spent years on the front lines of digital transformation in the biotech sector, and his current mission: implementing generative AI for regulatory guideline monitoring, without giving the quality team a collective heart attack. He offers a no-nonsense roadmap for biotech leaders looking to streamline compliance, harness AI potential, and future-proof their operations. Here are three reasons you should hit play on this episode: * From Proof of Concept to Real-World Implementation: Discover how Abhijeet’s team moved beyond early excitement to tackle regulatory, IT, and data privacy requirements, carving a safe and compliant path for bringing generative AI tools into GxP and GMP-adjacent workflows. * Human-in-the-Loop Isn’t Optional: Learn why user training, prompt engineering, and close collaboration between scientists and AI are essential for extracting meaningful (and accurate) insights, especially in environments where routine and regulation reign supreme. * ROI and Regulation - The Balancing Act: Hear candid perspectives on measuring the return on investment for new digital tools, addressing skeptics closer to manufacturing, and why the real game-changer might just be a community-driven, industry-wide approach to regulatory acceptance. Wondering how to unlock GenAI’s full potential - or just avoid the common pitfalls? Dive into this episode for practical strategies, cautionary tales, and actionable insights from someone who’s actually navigated the compliance minefield. Bring AI into your pipeline with confidence, clarity, and compliance. Connect with Abhijeet Satwekar: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abhijeetsatwekar [https://www.linkedin.com/in/abhijeetsatwekar] Next step: Book a free consultation to help you get started on any questions you may have about bioprocessing development: https://bruehlmann-consulting.com/call [https://bruehlmann-consulting.com/call] Develop bioprocessing technologies better, faster, at a fraction of the cost with our 1:1 Strategy Call: The quickest and easiest way to excel biotech technology development. Book your call at https://stan.store/SmartBiotech [https://stan.store/SmartBiotech] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2263581/support]

Ever feel like you’re drowning in an ocean of constantly shifting regulatory guidelines? The world of biotech is a whirlwind of evolving standards, making compliance not just a headache, but sometimes the stumbling block between life-changing therapies and the patients who need them. But what if artificial intelligence could turn regulatory chaos into your biggest competitive advantage? In this episode, David Brühlmann sits down with Abhijeet Satwekar, Innovation Manager at Merck KGaA’s Global Analytical Development. Abhijeet shares how he’s pioneering the use of generative AI, not as a hype machine, but as a practical, transformative tool for regulatory compliance in biotech. With over a decade navigating analytics, digitalization, and collaborative tech adoption at a major pharma leader, Abhijeet knows what it takes to connect industry stakeholders, harness new technologies, and turn business operations into streamlined, value-generating systems. Here are three reasons you won’t want to miss this episode: * Generative AI as a Compliance Powerhouse: Discover how AI is being harnessed to analyze, extract, and compare complex regulatory requirements across different countries, cutting through ambiguous language and shifting specifications - so you don’t have to. * Reducing Regulatory Bottlenecks: The days of manually reconciling guideline documents and updating baselines with every regulatory change are numbered. Learn how generative AI accelerates multi-guideline comparison, saving teams countless hours and reducing the risk of costly errors and delays. * A Blueprint for Digital Transformation: Abhijeet reveals how Merck is moving from proof-of-concept to operational reality, building collaborative teams that bridge IT, analytics, regulatory, and quality to bring valuable digital tools into daily practice. Curious if your team could automate away regulatory headaches? Listen in and get inspired to tackle your toughest compliance challenges - before your competitors do. Connect with Abhijeet Satwekar: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abhijeetsatwekar [https://www.linkedin.com/in/abhijeetsatwekar] Next step: Book a free consultation to help you get started on any questions you may have about bioprocessing development: https://bruehlmann-consulting.com/call [https://bruehlmann-consulting.com/call] Develop bioprocessing technologies better, faster, at a fraction of the cost with our 1:1 Strategy Call: The quickest and easiest way to excel biotech technology development. Book your call at https://stan.store/SmartBiotech [https://stan.store/SmartBiotech] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2263581/support]