181: Innovating Continuous Bioprocessing with Vibrating Membrane Filtration with Jarno Robin - Part 1
What if one of biotech’s biggest production breakthroughs was hiding in plain sight? Not in a new gene or a wonder drug, but in the way we process and purify biologics.Perfusion technology, once dismissed as a pipedream in top biopharma boardrooms, is now quietly powering some of the industry’s most efficient and productive manufacturing platforms. Yet, transforming perfusion from controversial buzzword to gold standard required timing, vision, and a willingness to break from tradition.In this episode, host David Brühlmann sits down with Jarno Robin, a bioprocessing pioneer whose 20+ year journey spans industry giants like Novo Nordisk, Sanofi, and Leo Pharma. Jarno has championed upstream continuous processes, including ATF and TFF, for decades, and now, as a leader at Sani Membranes, he’s unleashing the next evolution: Vibro® Membrane Filtration, an innovation set to upend conventional wisdom about fouling, pressure loss, scalability, energy usage, and more.Here are three reasons you’ll want to listen to Jarno’s journey:Innovation Versus Industry Inertia: Behind every platform shift are years of resistance. Jarno recounts how timing, advocacy, and matching the right data with the right decision-makers finally made perfusion mainstream, even after company leaders proclaimed, “We will never ever run perfusion.”State-of-the-Art and the Next Frontier: ATF and TFF remain dominant, but their limitations, like membrane fouling, scale-up headaches, and high energy needs, are real. Jarno explains how Vibro® Membrane Filtration addresses these pain points with a radically new design, offering lower pressure loss, less fouling, higher cell densities, and surprisingly low energy consumption.Practical Wisdom for Bioprocess Developers: Should you always run a control in process development? How do you translate lab-scale wins to robust, money-earning production? Jarno shares counterintuitive advice based on decades of hands-on success and mistakes.Curious how you can optimize your process technology and sidestep costly pitfalls? Listen to this episode and discover how “timing is everything” in bioprocessing innovation and whether new filtration methods could help you leap ahead.Connect with Jarno Robin:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jarno-robinWebsite: www.sanimembranes.comCurious about continuous processing challenges and breakthroughs? Don’t miss these previous episodes.Episodes 39-40: Balancing Perfusion Process Development and Sustainability with Jochen SieckEpisodes 85-86: Bioprocess 4.0: Integrated Continuous Biomanufacturing with Massimo MorbidelliEpisodes 153-154: The Future of Bioprocessing: Industry 4.0, Digital Twins, and Continuous Manufacturing Strategies with Tiago MatosNext step:Book a free consultation to help you get started on any questions you may have about bioprocess development: https://bruehlmann-consulting.com/call🧬 Ready to eliminate CMC chaos and hit your IND timeline with absolute certainty? Get the complete Notion CMC Dashboard at https://stan.store/SmartBiotech/p/cmc-dashboard-for-biotech-foundersJoin 500+ CGT leaders at Advanced Therapies Europe 2025 (September 2-4, Barcelona) for live case studies, regulatory insights, and exclusive collaboration opportunities. As a Smart Biotech Scientist listener, you’ll save 20% with code SMARTPODCAST20 – Register hereSupport the show
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