Ammonium was building up during a partner's process, causing cytotoxicity...
Case Studies
Reduced peak NH4+ concentration by 50% whilst keeping titer within 98.7%.
01
Identify the root cause
Our metabolic pathway analysis identified Asparagine degradation as the root cause of the ammonium build-up.
02
Simulate thousands of media compositions
The multivariate, multi-objective nature of the problem meant there were too many combinations for experimental trial and error. We simulated thousands of media compositions to find one that both reduced the rate of asparagine degradation and maintained titer.
03
Rebalance the media
The model recommended reducing Asparagine in the media and making compensatory increases in other components.
04
Confirm the flux shift
The optimized media composition reduced flux through the asparagine-degradation pathway, cutting ammonium build-up without compromising product titer.
The result: experimentally confirmed
50%
Reduction in peak NH4+ concentration (0.12 → 0.06 g/L)
98.7%
Titer maintained, as a percentage of baseline
Dealing with by-product build up?