Biopharma special panel

Summary form only given, as follows. A complete record of the panel discussion was not made available for publication as part of the conference proceedings. Biopharma Operations is the next emerging challenge for automation scientists and engineers. Automation in Biopharma is currently built around responses to simple inputs such as temperature, pressure and load. Automation engineering in Biopharma presents unique challenges. Not only must manufacturers operate in a complex environment of regulations, there is an inherent variability introduced from commercial manufacturing dependent on living organisms. This panel seeks to begin a dialogue that will result in framing up research ideas and agendas in this emerging field. We will seek to address some of the following questions: What are the automation challenges facing Biopharma Manufacturing? How can cutting edge research ideas such as stochastic control and decisions under uncertainty improve these challenges? What is the right mix of automation for the Biopharma manufacturer? What can the Biopharma industry learn from other industries and other research collaborations such as those seen in the semiconductor industry?