Bioprocessing 4.0: Sustainable economy through biomanufacturing
Sustainability through precision fermentation for manufacturing food-analogous is an increasingly valued investment domain. Yet, a large break is present in technological prototyping from a laboratory scale (technology readiness level (TRL) 1 to 3) to a commercial scale (TRL 8 to 9) referred to as the “valley of death”. The identified technological gaps are incognito key process parameters (KPP), Absence of due diligence and economics studies, lack of pre-commercial experimentation and validation, and deficit market-driven downstream processing (DSP). My research objective is to bridge these gaps and advance precision fermentation from the technological “valley of death” to the commercially viable level. I will achieve this goal by employing parallel experiments for identifying and fixing the upstream and downstream key performance matrices (titer, yield, productivity, recovery, and purity). The central question in pursuit of this goal is scale-up at competitive cost and market driven downstream processing that I intend to fix via experiments, drawn on economics and optimized Key Process Parameters (KPP), and supported by simulations. Besides, to reduce the cost even further and for circular bioeconomy, I will research to utilize the reduced sugar extracted from agricultural side-stream (vegetables, rice, barley, and wheat) or C1 (Methanol, Acetate) compounds as substrate. Case in point, I aim for a sustainable closed-loop protein manufacturing system through GRAS microorganisms.
I work to develop and establish a sustainable and scalable bioprocessing solution to manufacture chemicals, proteins, and biologics. I am skilled at precision fermentation, scale-up, computational modeling, techno-economic analysis, and bioprocess automation. I am deeply involved in engineering bioprocesses to enhance performance, improve scalability, and technology transfer that contribute to a more sustainable bioeconomy. I mostly worked on collaborative projects of high importance nationally/internationally, which has taught me to maintain close association with all institutional departments. This allows us to benefit from different viewpoints and strengths while narrowing the global conservation of science.
Teaching and Mentorship Philosophy:
My teaching philosophy is centered on inclusive teaching with active learning. I trained with active learning strategies, which I use in my class to build an impartial learning environment for the students regardless of their background, abilities, and academic pathways. I believe that explaining the extended view on the relevance of concepts across the different disciplines helps students grasp the idea easily. Thus, they become confident to work in interdisciplinary fields to find solutions to global problems.
The course I teach has industry-driven challenges and real-world case studies. It gives students actual information and develops skills applicable to academics and industry. Also, I mentor students from diverse backgrounds, ensuring they receive the guidance and support needed to thrive in their academic and professional journeys.
Future Goals and Contribution:
As an Assistant Professor, I strive to build a holistic research program and strong industrial collaborations to induce effective research and technology transfer. The aim is to solve problems of biomanufacturing, product development, automation, and sustainable production systems. Also, the partnerships can support research and create a trained workforce. Thus, bridging the gap between academia and industry. Further, I contribute to the institute's research community by fostering cross-departmental collaboration on addressing real-world challenges and improving society.
Selected Publications:
VG Tran, S Mishra, SS Bhagwat et al., 2023. An end-to-end pipeline for succinic acid production at an industrially relevant scale using Issatchenkia orientalis. Nature Communications 14 (1), 6152
S Mishra, V Kumar, J Sarkar, AS Rathore. 2021. CFD-based mass transfer modeling of a single-use bioreactor for production of monoclonal antibody biotherapeutics. Chemical Engineering Journal 267, 118323
S Mishra, A S.Rathore, N Saxena, GThakur. 2022. Artificial intelligence and machine learning applications in biopharmaceutical manufacturing. Trends in Biotechnology
P Gupta, N Kateja, S Mishra, H Kaur, AS Rathore. 2021. Economic assessment of continuous processing for manufacturing of biotherapeutics. Biotechnology Progress 37 (2), e3108