Engenharia Farmacêutica I

Objectives

The students should acquire an integrated view of the production, separation and purification processes of biopharmaceutical products. This will be achieved through the study of the theoretical fundamentals of the several unit operations used at the different stages of the manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals, in order to obtain a final product with high purity and added commercial value. At the end of the curricular unit, students should be able to define a strategy for the upstream and downstream processing of biopharmaceuticals, including the most appropriate equipment for each unit operation selected.

Syllabus

UPSTREAM PROCESSING - Production of bulk pharmaceuticals in biological reactors. Batch, fed-batch and continuous fermentation. Cultivation of microbial and animal cells. Culture media development. Sterilization and aseptic conditions. Mass and heat transfer. Oxygen transfer and consumption. Mixing and stirring. Operating parameters, monitoring and control. Cell harvesting and recovery. Upstream bioprocess development. DOWNSTREAM PROCESSING - Selection criteria for separation and purification processes. Intracellular and extracellular products. Solid-liquid separation processes: Filtration, sedimentation and centrifugation. Cell disruption methods. Isolation and concentration processes: Membrane separation processes (microfiltration, ultrafiltration). Final purification processes: Chromatographic processes. Downstream bioprocess development.

Prerequisites

Fluency in the practice of calculations and use of quantitative thinking in Science and Engineering.

Cross Competence Component

The course enables the development of transversal competences from the following groups: i) Critical and Innovative Thinking: the project enables students to develop strategic and critical thinking skills, creativity and problem-solving strategies; the lectures and exams also enable students to develop critical thinking and problem-solving strategies. ii) Interpersonal skills: the project, developed in groups, and its oral presentation allow for the development of teamwork skills, written and oral communication. iii) Intrapersonal skills: students develop time management and productivity skills, in the context of meeting project and presentation deadlines. The assessment percentage associated with these skills is around 20%.

Laboratorial Component

No laboratory component

Programming And Computing Component

No programming and computing component

Ethical Principles

All members of a group are responsible for the group’s work In any assessment every student shall honestly disclose any help received and sources used. In an oral assessment, every student shall be alble to present and answer questions about the entire assignment and solution.