Blog 10. Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. INVOLVE ME and I learn. - Benjamin Franklin

     VS  

The most challenging part of this module, for me, is the presentation. It is where I came into the realization that it is already the end of the semester. It has really flown by so fast. Looking back from the first day where I was just wondering whether to take this module or no, I felt like my knowledge have grown so much in that span of time. I have enhanced so many skills and made different things I thought was impossible. The e-portfolio and the weekly group meetings we had helped me develop primarily team building and communication skills. Indeed, two heads are better than one; well in this project, 3 heads. I learned to listen to my colleague’s opinions and ideas which made it more challenging yet enthralling.

At first, we wanted to do a normal presentation where we do it in Powerpoint and present it as normal. However, it is an engaging class and we all know that’s boring and the class will be bombarded with information where it would be hard to grasp anything. While deciding, dividing the work was suggested - one focusing on upstream, the other on downstream processing and one on the product background. Until the day before the presentation that we have decided to just discuss the production of vaccine as it is hard for us to pinpoint the actual downstream for our product at the moment; and also a little bit of background about our product. A visual interpretation (acting) was our concept where we explained the vaccine production targeting the virus.

While doing the presentation, it was really nerve racking as we know we’re not that prepared. However, everything we put together is our combined hardwork for 12 weeks and the presentation is the way in sharing it to our colleagues and for them to be able to learn what we’ve learned throughout our journey. Despite that, our presentation turned out really well, I must say. This was proven by our interactive game – kahoot, where they have to answer 10 questions relative to what we had presented. Through that, everybody participated and even shouting answers to the questions. It is where I know we did our part well. We maybe didn’t elaborated much as the other groups but we certainly know that they have grasped something about our product and its production, which is our aim anyway.

However, when given the chance to do it again, a week preparation will be more beneficial so that more things will be added like the updated version of our infographic which outlines the whole upstream processing. Also, by seeing other group’s presentation, acting seems like the easiest way of teaching a class. I really liked the idea of the last group where they explained the whole bioprocess of their product through a Christmas tree which I certainly will remember. Overall, it feels great to have these all done. This module is not easy, it requires a lot of work – which I said most in my blogs, but it really does. It’s time consuming and it really did drain all my energy from reading endless articles.

To sum it up, I really enjoyed this module. A lot of modules have been applied and connected such Immunology and Diagnostics, Drug Delivery and Biotechnology. If I were to pick a module again, I most certainly will pick this despite the hardwork it requires. I have grown so mature in just a short span of time. I learned to manage my time wisely along with enhancing scientific abilities. Problems were also encountered throughout this journey but I learned to figure out things to do to overcome all these.  

THE END

Blog 9. Wake up with determination. Go to bed with satisfaction.

The class today was used as an opportunity to ask questions about the upcoming interactive class and also the e-portfolio. It is the time where all confusions were opened up and also asked things that are not clear relative to other parts of the module which I find very beneficial. 

By dividing our work for the e-portfolio last week, we are now more organized and our website is starting to look very professional and catchy. All our aims in the beginning are now slowly being accomplished. Truly, "Teamwork makes the dream work". We decided to keep adding stuffs we think will make it more interesting. The concept is to give a concise information yet covering all the details - bang on information. We don't want to overload our website with information which will bore our readers. However, for wide readers, references are inserted for them to do further reading. 

I can also see the relativity of other modules to this module. Everything I've learned in other modules have been applied in the production of our product. By this, it suggests how I've grown as a scientific thinker. Looking back from our first lecture where Barry was talking about how Bioprocessing is very beneficial, I can now understand the importance of it.

Draft outline of logo

Product Logo

As for the memo this week, our product logo has to be designed along with our tagline, target market and USP. We came up with a lot of different taglines, some funny ones, catchy and professional. The initial tagline we though was "Dengue No More" which we got from an article read in Drug Discovery and Synthesis - Malaria No More. However, it is too plain and very popular to us. So, we decided to go with "DEN-IV - The vaccine that touches the world". Our target market is the people who needs it more which are the ones in endemic areas and then travellers to prevent the spread of the disease on non-endemic countries. Our USP will be the vaccine that will target all four serotypes with a reasonable cost.

Thinking about all these was not easy. We spent hours discussing all these as a group and just like a normal group, we also had arguments especially in thinking about our tagline. However, in the end, we managed to agree on everything. Many different skills are indeed acquired and developed through this module. If ever I'm given the chance to work in a group again, it will be a lot easier through this experience. I am now better in voicing out my opinion with prepared back-up to support my argument. 

Blog 8. Work hard in silence, Let SUCCESS be your noise - Frank Ocean

Since we had a Pfizer trip this week for other modules, it's a DAY OFF for this module. However, my group used the time to be productive and get something done as we all know we will benefit from it in the end. 

The e-portfolio needs a lot of work and there are a lot of ideas in our minds which made us change our site. Creating a new site is not easy, on the other hand, it will be easier to change the whole thing rather than working in a website where we can't see any progress. We divided the work instead. The upstream processing of our product is already done with the aid of our infographic. So we focused on the detailed background yet easy to read about Dengue virus including the areas affected and the need for it and also our background information which Toby worked on. Whereas Yeqi focused on the downstream processing of our product. As for myself, I researched the competitors and also patented drugs that are similar to our product. We gave each other a week to do all these as there are a lot of work from the other modules as well.

I find this module very daunting at times and it is very hard to keep up with weekly works. However, I am trying my best to do all the works for the week. The reason why I still keep doing my best is because I know it will be a great benefit to me in the future. Also, no matter how intently it is, I still enjoy it. Having my group is the best thing about it. Unlike any other groups, we can always arrange group meetings through skype or facebook whenever we don't have time, just to keep up with our work. Our open forum in facebook also is a great benefit where we post articles we are reading to give others the chance to also read what we are researching, thus giving more ideas. 

Blog 7. Learning something new is FUN.

It has been a very busy week as it's nearly the end of semester and assessments are all coming together. This module really requires a lot of work (both individual and group) to be ahead of everything.

It's the Infographic presentation week! This is a new learning for us and it was not easy. However, I think everybody did they're best. Infographic is defined as a graphic visual representations of information, data or knowledge intended to present complex information quickly and clearly.  As a group, there were a lot of confusion on how to do it and achieve the aim on showing our colleagues our production plan including the chosen cell lines, alternatives and bioreactor; in the simplest and easy way possible. However, by our combined ideas, we managed to create a better and informative infographic.

Each group presented their infographic outlining the product and the production chosen. Almost everybody used a template called the piktochart, whereas my group did it from the scratch and used MS Powerpoint to outline it. I was mainly involved in doing the draft of our infographic and we went through a lot of changes. Diagrams below outlines the evolution of our infographic.

Figure 1: First draft

Figure 2: Second draft

Figure 3: Final draft

My group did not prepare for a proper presentation for our inforgaphic like what others did. We did not have a guideline to read and so on which made me really nervous. I was thinking we probably did not do much and lacking a lot of things. On the other hand, we worked on it together and thus know every details, which made it easier for us to explain it to the class. The advantage of doing infographic in my opinion, is having to visualize each group's recent production and thus benefit by learning the different ways on how to bioprocess products. Each group used imaginative skills with the aid of good research skill to come up of the best way to produce a product with the least possible hurdle.

After presenting and getting feedback, my group figured out that we lacked some informations from the question asked, mainly the ancillaries. In additional, other groups presented their infographic from the product their producing, to the production and even included target market, the need of the product, who are they aiming for, whereas my group just focused on the actual bioprocessing/production. This is because we wanted to show the reason why such upstream processing was chosen; stating advantages and disadvantages including the alternatives.

If given the chance to do it again, an actual flow of presentation will be prepared. Also, a detailed review of questions asked and presentation practice will be prepared well. On the other hand, my group sat down once again and revised the infographic showing all the answers to questions asked, giving clearer information for intended audience along with a good resource for further reading.

Figure 4: Revised Infographic

Blog 6. Learning is experience. Everything else is just information. -Albert Einstein

Week 6 - half of semester one. 

The feedback for Critical Review was given this week. I am quite happy of what I got but reading two of my colleagues' work who got the top marks, I could've done better if more effort was put in. I could've asked more people to critique my work as the feedback gotten from the class was just good work written on it. The extra time given could have used to research more articles regarding the topic rather than just sticking to the article found the first time. However, it is a good learning. Besides, it is the first article critical review that I have done. Having the same assessment in other modules, this will be a great benefit to improve a lot more. Overall, I enjoyed reading the article which made me think scientifically. I am not fund of reading but this module helped me to love and see the benefit of exploring outside the box. It does not only enhance your knowledge but also different abilities like scientific and research abilities which are the big areas that can help me with my thesis for the next semester and also a great advantage in going to industry.

In the lecture, Inclusion Bodies were discussed which I did not understand well. But it has both advantages and disadvantages. It's good to have it as it has potential purification advantage. The reason why I probably don't understand it much is maybe I couldn't think of the advantage of it in our cell line as I haven't came across it in reading articles. However, to get a clearer idea about it, I did my little research. I found out that the key to efficient use of inclusion bodies is to know how to solubilize and refold the protein in high yield. Also, the advantage of E.coli as a cell line was discovered as it is inexpensive, facile to work with, it has success rate and it is scalable. However, it has also disadvantages.  We are still sticking to our cell line which is the vero cell as we found out that we can get it for free. Thus, we can just spend more on a better bioreactor to get a more purified product. 

 Reading: Vaccine - Vero Cells

                 Inclusion Bodies

Prior to the workshop, an article was read that used the same cell line as the one in mind which is vero cell. There were a lot of things learned like it is better to use batch fermentation and then continuous and that perfusion bioreactor has also a lot of advantages. As a group we thought about this and also making it our own way, there are some things to be worked on to overcome the challenges the past researchers faced. Barry gave us a lot of idea on how to improve our method more and how to overcome some of the challenges which will be further discussed by the group in the next group meeting. Also, the draft of infographic was shown. Being the one mainly focused on doing the draft, I must say it is not easy. There are a lot of things to consider. It should be informative at the same time work limited. On the brighter side, I am enjoying this as it is again new to us which is a big advantage in enhancing our skills. 

In conclusion, looking back from the day when I was thinking of dropping the module, I am very grateful that I stayed. This module has a lot of surprises. It may require a lot of work and pressure but there are a lot of skills that has been improved half way through the semester. Also, there are new things that I thought would be hard and impossible to do but turned out really well. The group meetings held each week improved a lot of my communication skills (voicing out my opinion and how I communicate to the team) and of course team work. The infographic, critical review and weekly reading of articles is helping me in my scientific thinking, research abilities and also enhancing my imagination.

Blog 5. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world. - Albert Einstein

It has been a really tough week but as last week's motivation quote, it can never be DIFFICULT with HARD WORK.

This week's lecture is all about the different types of bioreactors, which gave us a clear idea of the type of bioreactor that will be suitable for the next big product. The different components, utilities and typical problems were discussed. I find it very beneficial as it explains a lot of the things to consider on choosing the type of bioreactor to use. It also made us think of the possible ways on how to overcome the challenges that may be faced. My group already decided on what to use as researched from the last memo received but the lecture gave us clearer idea on the things that needs to be added and emitted to design the perfect bioreactor for our product. 

The workshop, however, made me realize how my group is doing well for the product we are proposing. This is because when memos are received, we work on it straight away. Ohh yes, we're on the ball! Since we already know what we want to use for our product, we used the time to discuss better ways on how to improve our recent work. As for Barry, it is better to explain it further and so we did and currently reading more articles to broaden our knowledge. However, I figured out that for this module, knowledge is not enough to make things work but most importantly - imagination. A good scientist is to be able to create a product by imagining and figuring things out to make it work. I have attached the articles we've been reading.

This is the current design of bioreactor in mind.

This is now the point where all the informations we have are all connected and it is all going good. I am actually enjoying designing and thinking outside the box as it gives me the feel of working in a real Biopharmaceutical Industry. I look forward to finish our product.

READINGS:

Vero cell line adapted to grow in suspension

Vero cell line which is adapted to grow in suspension, method of obtaining same and viral vaccines

Investigation and Application Progress of Vero Cell Serum-free Culture

Blog 4. "The secret of getting things done is to ACT" - Dante Alighieri

It has been a really tough week with a lot of work that needs to be done. But, to do what needs to be done often takes every ounce of courage that one has. While getting so miserable trying to figure out what to do first and how to do it, I came across this amazing quote "The secret of getting things done is to act" by Dante Alighieri. Yes, that's it, ACT. 

Having decided to read an article about dengue vaccine for critical review, hours spent reading and analysing the paper was all worth it when it was done. That was a work done for critical review and also an added knowledge about the dengue vaccine for e-portfolio. I did exactly what Barry said, to hit two birds in one stone. I felt relieved in the end. 

In the first class, fermentation types, sterilisation and optimization were discussed. A thorough understanding on the different types of fermentation were explained and discussed in class including the advantages and disadvantages. Having discussed all these among our groups made it easier to understand and I felt more informed and also made me think deeper. Ideas for the project came into mind like what's the best type to use for the next big product and the disadvantages that will be a challenge to face. Therefore, to understand it better, after class, I did a research on the types of fermentation and found out that it is best to use batch or continuous for our product. This is because it is suitable for the production of small volume and high potency product like vaccine. However, further reading is still required and I am still going to propose this idea to our next group meeting. I find lectures each week more interesting and slowly seeing the picture of how is it going to be a great help in the industry.

I find the second lecture very discerning. Analysing a critical review of one of my colleagues wasn't easy as I know everybody spent time working on it. However, it's not hard doing the critical review either, if time and effort is much spent. While analysing one's critical review, I constantly compared mine. It gave me a sense of pride as I know having the rubrics as my guide, made my critical review a fair one. On the other hand, I know my one could also be improved. That's why I felt so happy that another week was given to add/revise it. It is indeed true that "Difficult doesn't mean impossible. It simply means that you have to work hard". Hard work does pay off anyway. So, I will work harder to make my critical review not just good but the best.

One BUSY week! 

Blog 3. More everyday foods than you think are fermented.

After learning a good lesson last week which is not to leave anything behind and keeping on track, I am now more organize and confident with each week's tasks. This week's lecture is all about the things to consider when scaling up a bio-processed product, the constraints and basic unit of bio-processing and also sample scenarios were given where suggestions were made which I all find beneficial most especially for starting a small scale for our product. Having to know all the things to consider is definitely a great help in the making of our proposed product. For me, the most significant part of the lecture is the Fermentation. It engrossed me more due to the fact that we use it every day. However, when asked to list fermented products, it seemed like everybody has the same idea and I felt like there must be more. Therefore, I decided to consult our dearest friend Mr. Google. I found out that most fermented products are in Asia like the "puto", made of semi-glutinous rice fermented in earthen jars, which is Philippine's famous delicacy. I also found out the benefits of fermented products which tend to break down pesticides store in fats.

As for the second memo from Bioplus, as a group, we came up with a lot of ideas for the next big product. But, we focused on the product that is much needed. We all decided to make a vaccine and then we asked ourselves, "Vaccine for what?". We searched for infectious diseases that have no vaccine yet. In the end, we all agreed to make a vaccine for dengue which can treat all the four strains DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3 and DENV-4. However, that is a big challenge for us which we will work on. The presentation of products of different groups just like The Dragons' Den was also a challenge. I was very impressed of all the ideas each group came up with. Also, I am more than proud of my group. It feels like we are already in a real industry proposing a product which is about to make a difference in the world. The challenges we're facing on our product is really making us come out of our own shell and be creative yet scientific thinkers. 

The benefit of the module is now all coming together. I am slowly seeing a light and it only encourages me more to take the path to Bio-pharmaceutical Industry. At first, I hate reading but this module encouraged me how important it is to be updated and to enhance my knowledge. I am now fund of reading articles that are beneficial for our proposed product. I am currently reading articles to find out candidate cells for our product. 

For the coming week, the only thing in my mind is KEEP ON TRACK and ENJOY. It's time to read more articles and do the Critical Review.

Blog 2. A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new - Albert Einstein

At first, I was thinking of dropping Bioprocessing. However, having attended the second week lecture/workshop, I was convinced that this module will be beneficial for the path I want to take in the future which is the Bio-pharmaceutical industry. The whole module in general seemed very challenging yet enthralling.  Looking back from my definition of Bioprocessing last week, it is now more explicit. It helps me put everything I have learned the past years together in application to the real world. However, I still feel the informations I have are not enough and thus I did further research by reading more recent articles. The assigned task from last week to read an article tackling the past, present and future issues about a certain topic influenced me a lot. This served as an eye-opener to me about what is really going on in the real world. 

Having a group discussion about the different aspects of Bioprocessing, examples of bioprocessed products, and the things to consider when starting a small scale, helped me to think about the module in depth which enraptured me. Also, I learnt about what my group know about the module and compared what I know. Unfortunately, I realized that I need to learn more. Therefore, I searched more bioprocessed things and their applications. After reading some stuffs about it, I see Bioprocessing unputdownable that the more you know about it, the more it gets interesting.

                                                                                                 

 

On the other hand, the "speed dating" we did in the workshop didn't turn out well for me. My article was about The Recent progress in Consolidated Bioprocessing (CBP) which focuses on the advances made for its development and includes native strategy (development of genetic systems for several cellulolytic anaerobic bacteria) and recombinant strategy (high yield conversion of model cellulosic substrates in yeast). It was hard to narrow the article down but as I talk more, it triggered me to point out the main points. This is because I did not really highlight the main points of my chosen article before the class as asked. Nevertheless, it helped me improve my communication and presentation skills. After hearing what others read, the one that really caught my attention was the article about looking at the challenges to produce a better product at a lower cost. This will be beneficial for our project as people nowadays wants a product that is cheap to buy but gives a better effect.

In conclusion, Albert Einstein said, "A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new". This served as an inspiration to me that it's okay to have mistakes as it will help us overcome different things and bring out the best we can offer.

Blog 1. Bioprocessing Introduction

I honestly don't know what to feel having Bioprocessing as the welcome module for our final year. Maybe because I enjoyed my six months work placement where I now find sitting in a lecture a bit different. Also, this module is optional and I am still not decided whether to take it or not. There are a lot of questions in my head and I am hoping to get answers soon. Picking two modules out of three is not easy as I find all of them beneficial but a choice has to be done. Being a final year student, I know it's not going to be easy and it is actually terrifying yet exciting. "Hard work pays off", so I am just going to do my best and enjoy it.

The first task was to define Bioprocessing. Having it the very first time, I define it as "Producing or manufacturing chemicals and drugs through a biological procedure". Also, hopes, fears and expectations was asked. I hope to understand the deeper meaning of Bioprocessing and its relevance to the industry. On the other hand, failing the module is my greatest fear. However, I expect that by the end of the module, I will be confident enough to go to an industry related to Bioprocessing and be confident on what I have learned all throughout by doing all the necessary work. There was also games played which I was confused at the start but Barry said it will help us improve time management and communication skills. I agree that these two key areas will be improved all throughout the module as it is a continuous assessment which involves group works.

In the second class, the breakdown of the continuous assessment was laid out and I feel confident about it. I see it as fair marking as it is divided into individual where I can reflect my own understanding about the module; and groups where I can share ideas with others hence improving my ability to work in a team. Thinking about where I stand over the module at the moment helps me to be more eager to learn the module deeper as it feels like I do not know anything. Equally, having discussed assessment breakdown will help guide for the effort that should put in equivalent to the percentage of it. Finally, writing this blog the first time as part of the assessment feels good as I actually think back and see the benefits of the module. However, since this is the first time, I am still not confident.