M&SOM Practice Platform

Applications of OR/MS Methodologies in Biomanufacturing: Our Vision and Future Research Directions

Abstract

The process of making medicines in biomanufacturing is fundamentally different than the production process of conventional drugs. In conventional pharmaceutical manufacturing, the medicines are chemically synthesized. In contrast, biomanufacturing methods use living organisms (e.g., bacteria, or eucaryotic cells) to make the desired active ingredients. As a result, these drugs are highly complex with "smart" capabilities. For example, these smart molecules can carry special messages for the immune system or search for a tumor in the body and bind to it (instead of damaging healthy cells). However, the use of living organisms in production leads to challenges that many other industries do not experience. These include high levels of uncertainty and batch-to-batch variability in production yields, lead times, and costs at all stages of the biomanufacturing processes.

The applications of Operations Research and Management Science (OR/MS) methodologies created significant impact on industries such as automotive and semiconductor manufacturing. However, there are only a limited number of papers and a few written accounts of success on OR/MS applications in biomanufacturing. One of the main reasons is that, to date, the competitive advantage in biomanufacturing has been driven by the scientific advances related to the underlying biological and chemical processes. With growing market demand and competition, the industry is now becoming more sensitive to costs and production footprints. Currently, there is an increasing need for making biomanufacturing operations "smarter" to reduce costs and lead times.

Through our work presented in the 2022 Franz Edelman competition, we have proven that linking OR/MS with biomanufacturing drives sustainable and scalable productivity improvements (click here for our presentation in the 2022 Franz Edelman competition). In this seminar, we will present our vision and future research directions to inspire and stimulate new research at the intersection of OR/MS and biomanufacturing.

Author Bios

Oscar Repping is an executive director with a global responsibility in the development and maintenance of production processes and analytical tools for vaccines and biotherapeutics. He holds a bachelor's degree in biotechnology and is a passionate result-oriented leader with experience implementing processes and strategies that contribute to the bottom line.

Marc Baaijens is an associate director with a global responsibility in bioprocess engineering and manufacturing data science at MSD Animal Health. In this role he drives the innovative and successful use of analytics to improve organizational performance. He has a master's degree in operations management and logistics from Eindhoven University of Technology.

Bram van Ravenstein is an associate director and operations lead in bacteriological production at MSD Animal Health. He holds a lean/six-sigma black belt from the University of Amsterdam. He has a master's degree in biotechnology molecular and cellular biotechnology and a minor in virology from Wageningen University & Research. His research interests include process improvement and operations management in biotechnology and life sciences.

Tugce Martagan is an associate professor in the Department of Industrial Engineering and Innovation Sciences at Eindhoven University of Technology. She received her PhD in industrial engineering from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Her research interests include healthcare operations and the design and optimization of manufacturing systems.

Coen Dirckx is a data scientist at MSD and a PhD candidate at the Eindhoven University of Technology. He holds a bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, and a dual master's degree in Industrial Engineering and Chemical Engineering from the Eindhoven University of Technology. His research interests include stochastic modeling and optimization of biomanufacturing systems.

Annick Nusselder is a data scientist at MSD in a team that focuses on bioprocess engineering and manufacturing data science. She holds a bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering and master's degree in Manufacturing System Engineering from the Eindhoven University of Technology. Her research focuses on advanced modelling for complex biomanufacturing processes and scheduling.

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This seminar took place on Friday, February 3, 2023. The PDF of the webinar chat log is available here. An online discussion forum has been set up through the INFORMS YouTube channel in order to facilitate further interactions with the seminar presenters and organizers for a period of three months following the seminar (i.e., until May 3, 2023).

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