Work

Asking the 5 W's for designing next‐generation bioprocessing

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Biotechnology is expanding beyond traditional, centralized fermentation and toward next‐generation bioprocessing paradigms that emphasize flexible deployment outside the laboratory with application‐specific performance. However, many bioprocesses fail to translate beyond proof‐of‐concept into industrially viable systems because early design decisions are often misaligned with economic, operational, and temporal constraints. In this perspective, we propose the systematic use of the traditional “5 W” questions (Who, What, Where, Why, and When) as a unifying framework for guiding the design of next‐generation bioprocesses. Rather than serving as a checklist, the 5 W's function as a design lens to interrogate host selection, yield constraints, deployment context, purpose, and timing of bioprocesses. Through examples spanning conventional and non‐conventional bioprocesses, we illustrate how neglecting these considerations can yield technically elegant yet operationally irrelevant systems. We argue that early qualitative framing through the 5 W's can reduce costly redesign and accelerate translation of next‐generation biotechnology into industrially relevant applications.

Source: AIChE Journal

DOI: 10.1002/aic.70430

Authors: Sangdo Yook, Karoline Maria Vieira Nogueira, Raj Sukumar, Jenna Miller, Hal S. Alper

Institutions: Chungnam National University, The University of Texas at Austin

Language: English

Topic: Microbial Metabolic Engineering and Bioproduction

Subfield: Molecular Biology

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Responsible consumption and production

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,940