Peter Dines Arndal Fiil
University
Technical University of Denmark (DTU)
Company
Novo Nordisk A/S
Project title
Improvement of chromatography resin life-time
Project description
Protein purification by preparative chromatography is an important step in the production of pharmaceutical
proteins. However, decrease of resin performance, which is typically observed over time, presents a costintensive
challenge. This project aims to investigate the underlying mechanisms that causes shorter rather than
longer high-performance operating windows for a given resin in a given process step, as well as test different
strategies for optimization.
This knowledge will be useful for process optimization and will contribute to improved operating windows thereby,
potential reduced unit cost in API purification.
What was your motivation for becoming a Helix Lab Fellow?
We discovered an exciting project for our thesis, which was offered by Novo Nordisk in collaboration with Helix Lab. The opportunity of living in Kalundborg with other students being in the same position as us sounded very interesting, so that was the major motivation for me to become a Helix Lab Fellow
What is the most exciting part of being a Helix Lab Fellow?
The opportunity to work with new and many varieties of lab equipment for our thesis is incredible. Furthermore, sharing this experience with 11 other students creates a great togetherness among the fellows, which is very helpful during the stressful period of completing your master thesis.
What perspectives do you see for your future after being a Helix Lab Fellow?
This project will increase my knowledge inside the trending unit operation of chromatography, and how to assess the topic experimentally in lab scale. I have created valuable connections in the industry, while also experiencing a larger pharmaceutical production plant in Novo Nordisk. These aspects could potentially form my future career in the industry.