Speakers
Laura Griffiths
Caelan Anderson
Leo Chi U Seak
Esther Karunakaran
Swapnil Khadke
Joe Mawby
Alex Ward
Panel
In keeping with the conference theme, the focus of the 2024 Dragon’s Den pitches is “Innovate and Automate – the Digital Advantage”, where six cutting edge technologies will compete for the audience vote.
Of Models and Media: Advancing next generation therapies with tailored cell culture media - Caelan Anderson & Alex Ward
At Tolemy Bio, we leverage advanced computational modelling, minimal metabolic data and graph-based machine learning to design bespoke and custom cell culture medias for the advanced therapies industry. Our focus is on advancing gene therapy production efficiency and cell therapy product yields and quality through highly targeted “metabolic programming”. We’re excited to announce here, the upcoming launch of our first media additions, tailored to optimise cell line performance for HEK293 and T-cells.
Deep learning approaches for improving CHO cell antibody production - Leo Chi U Seak
CHO cells have currently been used in more than 70% of antibody drug production. Current approaches for improving CHO bioproduction focus mainly on process control and pathway analysis based cell engineering. In GeneNet, we developed our own bioinformatics and neural network-based tools, to address what may have been missed out in the field, such as how metabolite influences antibody production. In this talk, I will mention a few commonly used deep learning approaches, such as CNN, and showcase how they can be used to find biomarkers and increase protein drug production yield.
Rotating spiral bioreactor: a compact, high performance alternative to conventional bioreactors for biotechnological manufacturing - Esther Karunakaran
Bioreactors are at the heart of established biotechnological manufacturing processes. We have built a prototype and submitted for patenting the design of a compact, high performance, bioreactor. The unique advantages of our bioreactor technology are 1) its inherent potential to achieve scale up from the R&D lab to manufacturing in a single step, and 2) improved volumetric productivity. We envision that our bioreactor will be a powerful enabling technology that underpins not only increased productivity within existing biotechnological manufacturing processes but also will help environment-friendly, biotechnological manufacturing of new classes of chemicals previously considered too challenging to produce using conventional strategies, thus driving further growth in the sustainable manufacturing sector in the UK.
Visual intelligence: the missing piece of the science automation puzzle - Joe Mawby
Even in the most advanced labs, scientists still rely on manual experiment monitoring and data capture. And even when some automation is present, there is still a significant volume of data flowing in and out of experiments, which scientists must manually record, collate and analyse. Lumi™ is the first solution to capture, archive and share experiment data using computer vision. Supporting companies working through scientific processes and protocols, Lumi™ is for organisations that prioritise efficiency, safety, and customer service. It will help your scientists save time, increase reproducibility, and ensure every experiment meets requirements. Our platform enables teams to move quickly on discoveries and accelerate speed-to-market of potentially world-changing products. And with the mundane work taken care of, scientists can focus more effort and energy on customer service, innovation, and knowledge transfer. Our computer vision element is powered by our LabEye camera module, situated in the lab. It can monitor various types of experiments, including liquids and vessel-based processes, whilst tracking changes such as colour, phase, overflows, and instrumentation readings, with more use cases developing all the time.
GyaniMed™: Revolutionizing Sustainable Drug Manufacturing with GenAI-Driven Knowledge Management - Swapnil Khadke
GyaniMed™ by IntelligenceQ is pioneering the use of Generative AI (GenAI) to transform knowledge management in sustainable drug manufacturing. The platform integrates cutting-edge AI with biopharmaceutical processes, enabling the seamless organization and retrieval of critical knowledge across research, development, and regulatory stages. By leveraging GenAI-powered insights and real-time collaboration, GyaniMed™ reduces inefficiencies, accelerates decision-making, and ensures sustainability in drug development. In this presentation, we will explore how GyaniMed™ empowers scientists and manufacturers to harness the full potential of their data, turning fragmented information into actionable knowledge to shorten drug development timelines and enhance operational efficiency. Join us to learn how generative AI is shaping the future of knowledge management in bioprocessing.
Unleashing the power of biomanufacturing with AI Process Simulation - Oli Hall
In the competitive landscape of bioproduction, where 90% of synthetic biology technologies fail to scale, New Wave Biotech is transforming R&D with their AI Bioprocess Simulation software by providing foresight into the impact of technical and commercial decisions on output, cost and sustainability, and the ability to leverage their past data to power their future R&D. By doing so, we enable companies to get to market quicker, cheaper and more sustainably.
Caelan Anderson is the co-founder and CEO of Tolemy Bio, driven by a deep passion for understanding and characterizing complex systems. With expertise in Physics, Data Science, and Software Engineering, he leverages these skills to solve intricate challenges in biotechnology. Caelan holds a degree in Physics from the University of Melbourne and began his career in defence technology, developing self-healing communication networks for the Australian Department of Defence.
At the cultivated meat startup Vow, he led the development of autonomous robotic systems for cell culture, built genome-scale metabolic models, and created advanced algorithms to accelerate cell-line development.
Before founding Tolemy Bio, Caelan successfully ran Apollo, a software company delivering innovative solutions across Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. At Tolemy, he now drives company strategy and operations, leading the development of cutting-edge technology while fostering a dynamic team.
Leo Chi U Seak is the CEO and Lead scientist of GeneNet Technology (UK), after getting his PhD (neuroscience) from the University of Cambridge.He co-founded GeneNet in the hope of helping the biotech industry to screen and produce drugs more efficiently. Leo is currently the project manager of Genenet’s CHO cell bioproduction (Funded by InnovateUK) and bioplastic bioproduction (Funded by ERDF) projects. Leo is also the inventor of the machine learning based genetic circuits used in the company, and he also has experience in leading research projects in the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) teams for years and has published multiple biotech papers.
Esther Karunakaran is a Senior Lecturer/Associate Professor in Biological Engineering at the University of Sheffield. She is a molecular microbiologist with research interests in applying fundamental knowledge of microbial physiology and biofilm behaviour to overcome challenges in bioprocessing, environmental engineering and healthcare sectors. Together with her colleague, Dr. J. M. MacInnes, she is working towards delivering an innovative, compact, high performance bioreactor for the bioproduction of a wide variety of chemicals. They are exploring the possibility of setting up a spin-out company, Spironix, to manufacture and distribute these innovative bioreactors.
Dr. Swapnil Khadke is the Co-Founder and CEO of IntelligenceQ, where he leads a passionate effort towards transforming sustainable medicine manufacturing through advanced AI solutions. With over a decade of experience spanning pharmaceutical development, product management, and research, Dr. Khadke has been at the forefront of integrating AI into health sciences, always focusing on the practical needs of scientists and manufacturers. Under his leadership, IntelligenceQ's platform, GyaniMed™, bridges complex scientific data across research, design, and validation stages, offering scientists sophisticated yet accessible tools to advance medicine development effectively.
Previously, Dr. Khadke held pivotal roles in multiple early-stage TechBio startups, where he spearheaded projects involving micro-implant development for real-time health monitoring and innovative drug delivery systems targeting age-related disorders. He has a rich academic background with a Ph.D. in Health Sciences from Aston University and a Master’s in Pharmaceutics and Drug Design from UCL, complemented by various awards in scientific excellence from prestigious institutions like GSK and UKICRS.
Driven by a belief that AI, when applied thoughtfully, can dramatically enhance efficiency and collaboration, Dr. Khadke continues to advocate for accessible and cost-effective AI solutions that support the critical work of pharmaceutical scientists, ultimately accelerating the delivery of life-saving treatments.
As a Business Development Manager at Reach Industries, I focus on the international expansion of Lumi, driving the growth of our Visual Intelligence and automation platform in new markets. My background in engineering, gives me a solid technical foundation as I work closely with our development teams and external partners to identify opportunities and develop strategies that scale our technology globally. By combining my technical expertise with a passion for building meaningful relationships, I ensure that Lumi’s AI-driven solutions reach scientists and businesses worldwide, helping them accelerate their work and drive innovation.
Alex Ward is the co-founder and CSO of Tolemy Bio. Alex has a background in Cellular and Systems Biology, spanning diverse areas of academic and industry science, from heart disease to MRI Physics. He is driven by bringing together computational tools and novel technologies to answer complex biological questions.
Since completing his PhD at the University of Bristol, he has undertaken post-doctoral work at the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute in Sydney, Australia, specialising in congenital heart disease functional genomics. After which, he joined the cultivated meat startup, Vow, leading teams in large-scale tissue engineering and cell culture media development. At Vow, he was responsible for driving the development of cell culture media for diverse and exotic cell-lines, using bioinformatics, high-throughput suspension process development and big data analytics.
Since then, Alex has embarked on a journey into entrepreneurship, founding the boutique analytics consulting company, Arta Bioanalytics, and, more recently, Tolemy Bio. At Tolemy, Alex is focussed on business development, commercial activity and scientific team and infrastructure.
