Fermentation in drug production
Start with the big picture
Industrial fermentation begins with selecting and improving microbial strains, then choosing a reactor mode and fermentation approach suited to the target product. Upstream processing prepares the medium and inoculum and establishes sterile conditions; downstream processing separates, extracts, purifies, and formulates the product. During production, variables such as pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, agitation, and foam are monitored and controlled. Product formation may occur during growth or later production phases, and precursor feeding or biotransformation can help direct particular pathways or modify compounds. The lesson also introduces scale-up considerations and the range of therapeutic products made through fermentation, from antibiotics to recombinant proteins.
What you'll learn
- Explain how industrial microbial strains are selected and improved.
- Compare batch, fed-batch, and continuous fermentation modes.
- Distinguish submerged from solid-state fermentation.
- Describe upstream and downstream processing steps.
- Identify key process variables and examples of fermentation-derived products.
Continue your study
Work through the complete notes and reinforce the topic with the study tools available in the full lesson.
