System and method for regulating cell culture based production of biologics

Abstract

The disclosure is directed to a system and method for control of at least one bioreactor, other cell cultivation-related equipment, and systems containing any combination of these in a plant. For example, a Plant-Wide Control System (PWCS) or a Process Control System (PCS) may be divided into three main components: hardware (including operating systems, such as a controller communicating with one or more servers of a network associated with the PWCS, (2) software (such as a control module) for performing control, and (3) one or more instrument control loops, which may be used by the software to maintain certain process values. Moreover, a Height Equivalent of a Theoretical Plate (HETP) value and an asymmetry factor may be determined based on real-time analysis on a chromatography column, using PWCS components.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system for controlling biologics equipment comprising:
 a first control loop including:
 an actuator configured to receive a control signal and regulate operation of a first equipment based on the control signal, and 
 a first sensor-transmitter configured to read and output a first measurement value associated with the first equipment; and 
   at least one processor for executing stored program instructions to:
 receive a setpoint value, 
 generate the control signal for the actuator based on the received setpoint value, 
 transmit the control signal to the actuator, 
 receive and process the first measurement value read and output from the first sensor-transmitter, and 
 generate a first process value based on the first measurement value read and output from the first sensor-transmitter. 
   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the setpoint value is input by a user on an operating interface, and the first process value is displayed on the operating interface for the user. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the setpoint value is a target value at which the first process value is to be maintained, the generated control signal for the actuator being a variable output, and wherein the at least one processor is configured to:
 determine whether the first process value matches the target value, and   based on the determination, automatically or dynamically adjust the variable output in the first control loop in order to control the first control loop so that a subsequent process value generated based on a subsequent measurement value output from the first sensor-transmitter matches the target value.   
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a second control loop including:
 a second sensor-transmitter configured to read and output a second measurement value associated with a second equipment, wherein the first sensor-transmitter outputs the first measurement value associated with the first equipment to the second equipment, and the at least one processor further executes stored program instructions to generate a second process value based on the second measurement value read and output from the second sensor-transmitter; and   the first control loop, such that the second control loop becomes a supervisory loop and the first control loop becomes a secondary loop.   
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 4 , wherein the setpoint value of the first control loop is a variable output of the second control loop based at least on the second process value and a second control loop setpoint value received for the second control loop. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 4 , further comprising a third sensor-transmitter configured to read and output a third measurement value associated with the second equipment, wherein the third sensor-transmitter is operable in bypass mode such that the third measurement value is not used or standby mode such that the third measurement value is available to be used. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the stored program instructions includes a first set of instructions and a second set of instructions, wherein the first set of instructions is a first control module and the second set of instructions is a second control module. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the first control module is a loop controller configured to control the first control loop and further configured to receive the setpoint value and the first process value and generate the control signal for the actuator. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the first equipment is a plant-wide field device, the plant-wide field device including a sensor, a scale, a switch, a pump, a control valve, a valve, and an agitator. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the second control loop setpoint value is input by a user on an operating interface, and the operating interface includes one or more faceplates, each faceplate having a plurality of icons for the user to select a manual mode, an automatic mode, a cascade mode, and set the second control loop setpoint value. 
     
     
         11 . A method for controlling biologics equipment, the method comprising:
 receiving, by at least one processor, a setpoint value;   generating, by the at least one processor, a control signal for an actuator of a first control loop based on the received setpoint value, wherein the actuator is configured to receive the control signal and regulate operation of a first equipment based on the control signal;   transmitting, by the at least one process, the control signal to the actuator;   receiving and processing, by the at least one processor, a first measurement value read and output from a first sensor-transmitter, wherein the first sensor-transmitter is configured to read and output a first measurement value associated with the first equipment; and   generating, by the at least one processor, a first process value based on the first measurement value read and output from the first sensor-transmitter.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the first process value is displayable on an operating interface. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 determining, by the at least one processor, whether the first process value matches a target value, wherein the setpoint value is the target value at which the first process value is to be maintained target value; and   based on the determination, automatically or dynamically adjusting, by the at least one processor, a variable output in order to control the first control loop so that a subsequent process value generated based on a subsequent measurement value output from the first sensor-transmitter matches the target value, wherein the generated control signal for the actuator is the variable output.