Smart Biotech Scientist | The CMC and Bioprocessing Podcast for Process Development and Manufacturing Leaders

What if the bottleneck in cell line development isn’t how many clones you screen, but how you track them?
Cloning workflows have long relied on brute force: screen more cells, automate harder, and hope that small-scale performance predicts manufacturability. But too often, the “perfect” clone in a 96-well plate turns into a dud when it reaches the bioreactor. That disconnect costs time, money, and promising therapies.
This week, host David Brühlmann welcomes Kent Rapp, Co-founder and CEO of Biolinco, an entrepreneur who’s turning the classic approach to cell line development inside out. Drawing from his background in chemical engineering and his work in biomanufacturing at Johns Hopkins University, Kent teamed up with DNA barcoding experts to pioneer a new workflow: barcode every cell, pool them, and track their true performance in the environment that matters.
Topics discussed:
The pitfalls of brute-force screening in traditional cell line development (03:05)
Kent’s background and how he was drawn to combine science, startups, and biomanufacturing (04:37)
Overcoming discrepancies between small-scale and large-scale screening environments (08:30)
How DNA barcoding allows for high-resolution, pooled clone screening (10:34)
Sensitivity advantages of sequencing over plate-based detection (14:21)
Methodology for tracking and recovering individual high-performing clones from pools (15:13)
Impact on speed and workflow efficiency in cell line development (17:31)
Regulatory and safety considerations related to DNA barcodes in cell lines (19:04)
Smart insight: According to Kent, biotech as an industry has a tendency to "automate problems instead of solve them". Rather than addressing the root causes—like lack of meaningful measurements at relevant scales—companies often throw more robots and more plates at the issue, hoping brute force will finally yield the magical clone. But real process improvement requires a rethinking of what is being measured and how those insights are generated—not just a higher throughput of the same flawed assay.
If this got you rethinking how you screen clones, you'll want these next. We've tackled cell line development, high-throughput screening, and the art of spotting manufacturable candidates early from a few different directions — here are four worth queuing up.
Episodes 117 - 118 : Cell Line Development Secrets: Eliminating Critical Bottlenecks for Faster Timelines with Andrea Gough
Episodes 09 - 10: Revolutionizing Cell-Line Development: Unleashing the Power of Nanopens and Microenvironments with Tanner Nevill
Episodes 123 - 124: Manufacturability: Why Most Protein Candidates Fail (And How to Pick Winners Early) with Susan Sharfstein
Episodes 115 - 116: Revolutionizing Biologics Development with Hyper Throughput Screening and AI with Jeremy Agresti
Connect with Kent Rapp:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kent-rapp
Biolinco website: www.biolinco.com
Free 5-day email course, The CMC Failure Chain: the five recurring CMC mistakes that put your promising program at risk → Get it here
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Your active ingredient is the nucleic acid. So why does a proteolipid vehicle filing include viral clearance studies, stability data and full characterisation of a membrane protein that is not the drug? Because that protein sits on the particle surface, and a component nobody has filed before is the agency's problem regardless of what you call it.
Proteolipid vehicles (PLVs), the platform Jitendra Kumar works on as Lead Scientist for Chemistry and Process Development at Entos Pharmaceuticals, represent a novel frontier in drug delivery, Instead of being taken up into an endosome and having to escape it, a PLV fuses with the cell membrane and releases cargo straight into the cytosol. That opens targets and patient groups that liver-tropic lipid nanoparticles and viral vectors have struggled to reach, and it leaves Kumar building a regulatory file with nothing on the shelf to copy.
Highlights from the episode:
Strategies for communicating novel technology with regulatory agencies and ensuring robust science-driven submissions (02:34)
What differentiates the analytical characterization of PLVs compared to standard recombinant proteins or antibodies (04:03)
The development plan and regulatory pathway towards clinical and commercial approval for their lead leptin therapy (05:35)
The evolving role of advanced techniques—such as cryo-EM—in supporting regulatory filings and product understanding (06:56)
Jitendra Kumar's career journey: from agricultural research in India to protein science and neurodegeneration, and how these experiences inform current PLV technology development (09:00)
Challenges of early diagnostics and product development in neurodegenerative diseases (14:29)
Decision-making differences and focus in academic versus industry biotech research (15:32)
Practical advice on the importance of honest technology assessment, building networks, and understanding both strengths and weaknesses (16:16)
Smart insight: A persistent challenge for groundbreaking delivery systems is the lack of established regulatory playbooks. Jitendra Kumar laid out a science-first approach: let data do the talking, supported by rigorous GLP toxicology studies and transparent communication with agencies. Regulatory bodies like Health Canada are receptive to innovation, provided that sponsors demonstrate safety, efficacy, and scientific rationale for any deviation from standard criteria.
If this conversation got you thinking about how novel delivery vehicles reach the cell — and what it takes to carry one from bench through CMC, scale-up, and regulatory review — these four episodes go deeper:
Episodes 125 - 126: How to Enhance Cell Engineering Using Mechanical Intracellular Delivery with Armon Sharei
Episodes 231 - 232: From IND to BLA: The Biologics CMC Decisions That Determine Regulatory Success with Henri Kornmann
Episodes 89 - 90: Scale-Up Secrets: Cracking the Code of AAV Production with Ahmed Youssef
Episodes 71 - 72: Effective Outsourcing: How Small Biotech Companies Can Thrive with Mark Melville
Connect with Jitendra Kumar:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jkumar2
Email: jitendra.kumar@entospharma.com
Website: www.entospharma.com
Free 5-day email course, The CMC Failure Chain: the five recurring CMC mistakes that put your promising program at risk → Get it here
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Gene therapy only works if the cargo reaches the right cells intact. Adeno-associated viruses (AAV) and lipid nanoparticles have carried the field this far, but both share a constraint: the particle is taken up into an endosome, and the payload has to escape that compartment before it is degraded. Endosomal escape is where a large share of the dose is lost, and it is why delivery, not the genetic construct, is usually the thing that limits the therapy. Lipid nanoparticles carry a second constraint, since they tend to accumulate in the liver, which narrows the diseases they can reach. What if the particle never entered that way at all?
Jitendra Kumar, Lead Scientist for Chemistry and Process Development at Entos Pharmaceuticals, works on a platform that fuses directly with the cell membrane and releases its cargo straight into the cytosol. He came to nanoparticle design the long way, through fifteen years of structural biology on the prion protein in Frankfurt and Edmonton, which is why he thinks about particle size, packaging and diffusion the way he does.
Key topics discussed:
Jitendra’s career background in structural biology and journey to Entos Pharmaceuticals (03:18)
The scientific motivation and challenges of working with prion proteins and breaking down complex diseases (04:55)
Genetic medicine approaches: gain-of-function vs. loss-of-function, and the role of siRNA, ASOs, and gene delivery (06:27)
The FAST protein platform: origins, function, and advantages for drug delivery (07:56)
Manufacturing differences compared to LNPs, including the introduction of recombinant membrane protein production and related CMC complexity (09:55)
Scale-up and production challenges for membrane proteins, and strategies for clinical supply (11:21)
Clinical development progress: Phase 1/2 studies with the platform, especially for COVID vaccine delivery (12:23)
Focus areas for the technology, including selective lung delivery and leptin therapy for lipodystrophy (13:12)
Lessons for small biotech companies in phase 1/2 manufacturing strategy, technology transfer, and the value of an experienced network (14:31)
Balancing process robustness with speed in new biotech ventures (16:02)
The importance of identifying “pause steps” and must-have vs. nice-to-have features in early manufacturing processes (17:15)
Smart insight: Jitendra’s takeaway for startups: for early phases, find a partner who genuinely understands your tech and can move at your pace rather than defaulting to a big CDMO, treat your network as infrastructure, and build the ability to run production in-house. The one thing that's never up for negotiation is process robustness. The real question isn't robustness vs. speed, but how many checkpoints and safe pause points you build in so you can have both.
If this conversation got you thinking about how novel delivery vehicles reach the cell — and what it takes to carry one from bench through CMC, scale-up, and regulatory review — these four episodes go deeper:
Episodes 125 - 126: How to Enhance Cell Engineering Using Mechanical Intracellular Delivery with Armon Sharei
Episodes 231 - 232: From IND to BLA: The Biologics CMC Decisions That Determine Regulatory Success with Henri Kornmann
Episodes 89 - 90: Scale-Up Secrets: Cracking the Code of AAV Production with Ahmed Youssef
Episodes 71 - 72: Effective Outsourcing: How Small Biotech Companies Can Thrive with Mark Melville
Connect with Jitendra Kumar:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jkumar2
Email: jitendra.kumar@entospharma.com
Website: www.entospharma.com
Free 5-day email course, The CMC Failure Chain: the five recurring CMC mistakes that put your promising program at risk → Get it here
Support the show

For decades, drug development has been saddled with costly manufacturing, stringent biosafety requirements, and the limits of conventional carriers. But a new approach—born from cell-derived nanovesicles—could democratize access to advanced therapies and open entirely new doors for oral, topical, and even global vaccine delivery.
This week, David Brühlmann welcomes Christopher Locher, CEO and Co-founder of Versatope Therapeutics. Christopher has shaped the translation of novel vesicle technology from idea to clinical pipeline, navigating both the science and the unstructured realm of first-in-class GMP manufacturing.
Topics discussed:
Tackling GMP manufacturing challenges and analytics development from scratch (00:34)
Deciding what to outsource vs. insource as a small biotech, and the value of a robust tech transfer process (02:25)
Perspectives on partnering with CDMOs versus managing manufacturing and analytics in-house (02:40)
Geographic expansion goals and considerations for delivering low-cost biologics in underserved markets (04:26)
Differentiators of Versatope’s platform—endotoxin-free processes and non-pathogenic strains (05:05)
Key advice on critical quality attributes and early regulatory planning for Phase 1 readiness (06:19)
Lessons learned as a biotech founder—getting support, leveraging networks, and planning cost-effectively (07:57)
Understanding end users, leveraging I-Corps™, and customer discovery in early product development (09:04)
The science and promise of engineered nanovesicles: delivery routes, biological origins, and research applications (10:12)
Business models for platform out-licensing and potential for co-development partnerships (12:58)
Practical takeaways for scientists: setting "good enough" standards and focusing on lean, regulatory-aligned development (13:28)
Smart insight: Christopher is honest about his blind spots, learning on the fly from CMC consultants, and the practical importance of “good enough” regulatory solutions delivers sharp advice for anyone charting the long road from discovery to human trials. Think monoclonal analytics, batch consistency, and the art of prioritization, all from someone who’s made it work with a small team and limited resources
If Christopher's vesicle platform has you thinking about building a novel modality on an unconventional host, these four episodes go deeper on alternative production systems, microbial scale-up, and the CMC and cost decisions that get a first-in-class biologic to patients.
Episodes 217 - 218: Silkworm Biomanufacturing: From Ancient Silk Production to Phase I Vaccine Trials with Masafumi Osawa
Episodes 239 - 240: Continuous Microbial Manufacturing: From Genetic Instability to 40-Day E. coli Processes with Juergen Mairhofer
Episodes 231 - 232: From IND to BLA: The Biologics CMC Decisions That Determine Regulatory Success with Henri Kornmann
Episodes 267 - 268: Why Affordable Insulin Is a Money Problem, Not a Science Problem with Eric Moyal
Connect with Christopher Locher:
Website: www.versatope.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-locher-biotech
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What if the best way to unlock durable, broad-spectrum immunity is to rethink the very vessels delivering our vaccines?
While much of the industry focuses on refining existing delivery systems, Christopher Locher is charting a new course—one inspired by nature’s own couriers. Imagine a future where oral vaccines and modular, on-demand manufacturing aren’t just possibilities, but standard practice.
Christopher Locher, CEO and Co-founder of Versatope Therapeutics, brings decades of experience in drug discovery from Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Opsona Therapeutics, and Maxigen. In this episode, he shares his journey from high school science classrooms to the helm of a company pioneering recombinant extracellular transport vesicles—nanovesicles that promise to transform vaccine delivery and immunomodulation.
Topics discussed:
How basic scientific curiosity and the inspiration from teachers sparked Christopher's career in biotechnology (03:39)
The unmet needs in vaccine development for infectious and parasitic diseases, especially in regions below the equator (04:17)
Engineering nanovesicles as immunomodulators and drug delivery vehicles, using microbial bioreactors for production (06:38)
Co-producing proteins and vesicles in a single process, and the flexibility of the platform (08:28)
Key benefits of Versatope's platform, such as cost efficiency, stability, and commercial scalability compared to mammalian exosomes (09:53)
Prospects for multi-specific vaccines and the future direction for scalable bioprocessing (11:47)
Adapting manufacturing processes and overcoming logistical challenges—from COVID-related shutdowns to supply chain bottlenecks (12:21)
Strategies for navigating evolving regulatory requirements with agencies like the FDA, and experience with fast IND allowance (14:53)
Analytical and characterization challenges of complex nanovesicle-based products versus simpler platforms like antibodies (17:30)
The vision for decentralized or local vaccine manufacturing, especially in resource-limited settings (19:12)
Smart insight: Christopher Locher highlighted that the FDA allowed their IND submission for a universal influenza vaccine in less than a month after review—and notably, with no hold clinical questions—when it was submitted just before the Christmas holidays and allowed on January 19th, 2025. This rapid regulatory turn-around was made possible by a strong regulatory team and collaborative CDMO efforts, showcasing how innovative platforms and well-prepared submissions can accelerate early-stage clinical development in biotech.
If Christopher's vesicle platform has you thinking about building a novel modality on an unconventional host, these four episodes go deeper on alternative production systems, microbial scale-up, and the CMC and cost decisions that get a first-in-class biologic to patients.
Episodes 217 - 218: Silkworm Biomanufacturing: From Ancient Silk Production to Phase I Vaccine Trials with Masafumi Osawa
Episodes 239 - 240: Continuous Microbial Manufacturing: From Genetic Instability to 40-Day E. coli Processes with Juergen Mairhofer
Episodes 231 - 232: From IND to BLA: The Biologics CMC Decisions That Determine Regulatory Success with Henri Kornmann
Episodes 267 - 268: Why Affordable Insulin Is a Money Problem, Not a Science Problem with Eric Moyal
Connect with Christopher Locher:
Website: www.versatope.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-locher-biotech
Support the show