Exploring alternative oncogene-free mammalian hosts for adeno-associated virus production

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Implementing Solar Energy in Desalination Plants in Libya

Poster Presentation, People\u27s Choice Winner (2015)https://digitalcommons.wpi.edu/gps-posters/1364/thumbnail.jp

Investigating the Efficiency of Canola and Corn Oil Used for Potato Chip Frying at Frito-Lay

In 2014, Frito-Lay held 60% of the potato chip market share in the United States, generating over $3 billion in sales (PepsiCo Annual Report, 2017). The company uses canola and corn oil to fry the potatoes. Frito-Lay operators noticed that a greater amount of canola oil is required to produce one pound of potato chips than corn oil. Our project aims to determine the cause of the difference in oil efficiency observed when using canola oil and corn oil to fry potato chips. We conducted pilot and plant scale experiments, analyzed Frito-Lay’s quality control data and evaluated the equation used to calculate oil efficiency. It was found that canola’s absorption in the potato chips is higher than corn by 3% to 5% approximately

Data-driven and Physics Informed Modelling of Chinese Hamster Ovary Cell Bioreactors

Fed-batch culture is an established operation mode for the production of biologics using mammalian cell cultures. Quantitative modeling integrates both kinetics for some key reaction steps and optimization-driven metabolic flux allocation, using flux balance analysis; this is known to lead to certain mathematical inconsistencies. Here, we propose a physically-informed data-driven hybrid model (a "gray box") to learn models of the dynamical evolution of Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cell bioreactors from process data. The approach incorporates physical laws (e.g. mass balances) as well as kinetic expressions for metabolic fluxes. Machine learning (ML) is then used to (a) directly learn evolution equations (black-box modelling); (b) recover unknown physical parameters ("white-box" parameter fitting) or -- importantly -- (c) learn partially unknown kinetic expressions (gray-box modelling). We encode the convex optimization step of the overdetermined metabolic biophysical system as a differentiable, feed-forward layer into our architectures, connecting partial physical knowledge with data-driven machine learning

Assessing Current Information Delivery for the Visually Impaired

In Denmark, digitization has led to the decline of the "talking newspaper" compact disc (CD) mailing system, resulting in an information gap for the visually impaired. Sponsored by the Danish Association of the Blind (DAB), this report aims to recommend approaches for the timely distribution of DAISY formatted current information to the visually impaired. By communicating with various organizations and conducting a device evaluation with the visually impaired themselves, we recommended a multi-system approach with calling, assistive technology (AT), and smartphone compatibility, an active teaching and awareness program, and a collaboration between organizations for distributing current information effectively to the visually impaired

Antibody Correlates of Protection for COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Associated with Reduced Outpatient Hospitalizations

SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels associated with reduced hospitalization risk remain undefined. Our outpatient COVID-19 convalescent plasma (CCP), placebo-controlled trial observed SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels decreasing 22-fold from matched donor units into post-transfusion seronegative recipients. Unvaccinated recipients were jointly stratified by a) early or late transfusion (5 days from symptom onset) and b) high or low post-transfusion SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels ( geometric mean). Early treatment with high post-transfusion antibody levels reduced hospitalization risk-0/102 (0%) compared to all other CCP recipients-17/370 (4.6%; Fisher exact-p-0.03) and to all control plasma recipients-35/461 (7.6%; Fisher exact p-0.001). A similar donor upper/lower half antibody level and early late transfusion stratified analyses indicated significant hospital risk reduction. Pre-transfusion nasal viral loads were similar in CCP and control recipients regardless of hospitalization outcome. Therapeutic CCP should comprise the upper 30% of donor antibody levels to provide effective outpatient use for immunocompromised and immunocompetent outpatients

Outpatient COVID-19 convalescent plasma recipient antibody thresholds correlated to reduced hospitalizations within a randomized trial.

BACKGROUNDCOVID-19 convalescent plasma (CCP) virus-specific antibody levels that translate into recipient posttransfusion antibody levels sufficient to prevent disease progression are not defined.METHODSThis secondary analysis correlated donor and recipient antibody levels to hospitalization risk among unvaccinated, seronegative CCP recipients within the outpatient, double-blind, randomized clinical trial that compared CCP to control plasma. The majority of COVID-19 CCP arm hospitalizations (15/17, 88%) occurred in this unvaccinated, seronegative subgroup. A functional cutoff to delineate recipient high versus low posttransfusion antibody levels was established by 2 methods: (i) analyzing virus neutralization-equivalent anti-Spike receptor-binding domain immunoglobulin G (anti-S-RBD IgG) responses in donors or (ii) receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis.RESULTSSARS-CoV-2 anti-S-RBD IgG antibody was volume diluted 21.3-fold into posttransfusion seronegative recipients from matched donor units. Virus-specific antibody delivered was approximately 1.2 mg. The high-antibody recipients transfused early (symptom onset within 5 days) had no hospitalizations. A CCP-recipient analysis for antibody thresholds correlated to reduced hospitalizations found a statistical significant association between early transfusion and high antibodies versus all other CCP recipients (or control plasma), with antibody cutoffs established by both methods-donor-based virus neutralization cutoffs in posttransfusion recipients (0/85 [0%] versus 15/276 [5.6%]; P = 0.03) or ROC-based cutoff (0/94 [0%] versus 15/267 [5.4%]; P = 0.01).CONCLUSIONIn unvaccinated, seronegative CCP recipients, early transfusion of plasma units in the upper 30% of study donors antibody levels reduced outpatient hospitalizations. High antibody level plasma units, given early, should be reserved for therapeutic use.TRIAL REGISTRATIONClinicalTrials.gov NCT04373460.FUNDINGDepartment of Defense (W911QY2090012); Defense Health Agency; Bloomberg Philanthropies; the State of Maryland; NIH (3R01AI152078-01S1, U24TR001609-S3, 1K23HL151826NIH); the Mental Wellness Foundation; the Moriah Fund; Octapharma; the Healthnetwork Foundation; the Shear Family Foundation; the NorthShore Research Institute; and the Rice Foundation

Outpatient COVID-19 convalescent plasma recipient antibody thresholds correlated to reduced hospitalizations within a randomized trial

BACKGROUND COVID-19 convalescent plasma (CCP) viral specific antibody levels that translate into recipient post-transfusion antibody levels sufficient to prevent disease progression is not defined.METHODS This secondary analysis correlated donor and recipient antibody levels to hospitalization risk among unvaccinated, seronegative CCP recipients within the outpatient, double blind, randomized clinical trial that compared CCP to control plasma. The majority of COVID-19 CCP arm hospitalizations (15/17, 88%) occurred in this unvaccinated, seronegative subgroup. A functional cutoff to delineate recipient high versus low post-transfusion antibody levels was established by two methods: 1) analyzing virus neutralization-equivalent anti-Spike-receptor-binding-domain immunoglobulin G (anti-S-RBD IgG) responses in donors or 2) receiver operated curve (ROC) analysis.RESULTS SARS-CoV-2 anti-S-RBD IgG antibody was volume diluted 21.3 fold into post-transfusion seronegative recipients from matched donor units. Viral specific antibody delivered approximated 1.2 mg. The high antibody recipients transfused early (symptom onset within 5 days) had no hospitalizations. A CCP recipient analysis for antibody thresholds correlated to reduced hospitalizations found a statistical significant association between early transfusion and high antibodies versus all other CCP recipients (or control plasma) with antibody cutoffs established by both methods-donor-based virus neutralization cutoff in post-transfusion recipients: (0/85; 0% versus 15/276; 5.6%) p=0.03 or ROC based cutoff: (0/94; 0% versus 15/267; 5.4%) p=0.01.CONCLUSION In unvaccinated, seronegative CCP recipients, early transfusion of plasma units in the upper 30% of study donors antibody levels reduced outpatient hospitalizations. High antibody level plasma units, given early, should be reserved for therapeutic use. Trial registration: NCT04373460 FUNDING Defense Health Agency and others