1. A researcher uses cell culture to study a cellular protein secreted in vitro. To continue her experiments, she needs a larger quantity of the protein than currently available. For this purpose, the culture needs to be expanded and several scale up options tested, including feed rate and gas exchange combinations in various culture vessels.
2. A process development specialist uses bioreactors for production of a glycoprotein. However, the production process could benefit from a better balance between cost and productivity. The experiments required finding the right settings could take several weeks, and time is of essence.
3. An R&D researcher has screened several early transfectants for selection of high-producing candidates using multi-well plates. Two clones were selected for providing the best specific productivity. However once tested in, bioreactors, productivity shows poor correlation with earlier findings in multi-well plates. The researcher would like to retest all transfectants in batch and fed-batch modes but the number of bioreactors required for the experiment is limited.
4. A scientist has selected four medium formulations as best candidates to support high cell density growth of a hybridoma cell line. He wants to optimize growth performance by mixing these formulations together and determining the best mixture combination for the cell line. Experiments will be performed in bioreactors to minimize scalability issues, and must include the effect of process factors such as feed rate and temperature on cell response.
5. A laboratory assistant was assigned a research task involving human primary cells isolated in the laboratory. These cells have been cultured in standard medium supplemented with 10% serum. Serum is inhibitory to these cells and the lab assistant has to develop a medium formulation with minimal or no animal-derived component that can still maintain cell characteristics. She has 6 months to complete her project and needs to focus on the critical factors affecting cell growth and differentiation.
6. Before progressing to full-scale commercial manufacturing, a production engineer wants to ensure that the procedure for the production of a viral vaccine is robust, i.e. not subject to deviations. Four factors are known to affect production independently, and specifications have been established for each one during validation tests. The engineer however suspects that some specification violations may be due to factor interactions. If so, these factors may need tighter control than anticipated.

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