Print Email Facebook Twitter Fabrication of an ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy probe for protein quantification in bioreactors Title Fabrication of an ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy probe for protein quantification in bioreactors Author Xu, D.B. Contributor de Graaf, G. (mentor) Faculty Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science Department Microelectronics Programme Electronic Instrumentation Date 2017-01-31 Abstract Bioreactors are used nowadays to produce proteins with therapeutical effect that can treat a new range of diseases in humans. Unfortunately, measuring protein concentrations directly inside bioreactors in real time is still an unsolved challenge. This is due the large amount of compounds that can be found inside the bioreactors that interfere with traditional protein quantification techniques. With this, quantifying protein is still highly desired because it would allow more efficient control of the cell cultures and better awareness on the development of the bioprocesses inside bioreactors. A probe system that combines ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy technology with a passive mechanical sieve system is designed and built in this project in order to measure protein concentrations directly inside bioreactors in real time. To fabricate the designed probe, Silicon MEMS fabrication techniques were used in order to reproduce the designed micron-sized structures with precision and reproducibility. Also, using silicon technologies would allow easier design upgrading, different technologies integration and production cost efficiency. The designed and built system showed in preliminary experiments the capability to quantify different protein concentration levels by creating a calibration curve although the obtained signal was low. Consequently, more signal fluctuations caused by noise was present and less accurate signal readings were obtained. Further improvements are required in order to increase the signal levels which would provide more accurate and reliable quantifications. On the filtration aspect, the system showed to successfully block all particles, such as cells, from entering the optical chamber avoiding signal interference in the short term. Further experimentations are required to assess the long-term performance of the filtration system. With this, the development of this project allowed to proof the concept of using a combined system of ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy and mechanical sieves that could enable measuring protein concentration directly inside bioreactors in real time. Consequently, further design and development iterations are required in order to improve technically the system that allow higher signal levels with more accurate quantifications. Also, further experimental tests are required to assess the long term performance of the filtration system. To reference this document use: http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:b94abc72-3636-4d6e-8ccf-49f21e162496 Embargo date 2022-01-31 Part of collection Student theses Document type master thesis Rights (c) 2017 Xu, D.B. Files PDF BSc-MSc_report_David_Bao_2017.pdf 4.58 MB Close viewer /islandora/object/uuid:b94abc72-3636-4d6e-8ccf-49f21e162496/datastream/OBJ/view