Professor David James

Biological and Environmental Systems Group

Tel: +44 (0)114 222 7505
Fax: +44 (0)114 222 7501

Biography

I graduated in 1989 from King´s College London with a Ph.D. in Biochemistry, followed by postdoctoral research in Wye College (University of London), then the University of Kent; the latter a joint project with the Advanced Centre for Biochemical Engineering at University College London. Following appointment to Lecturer, then Senior Lecturer at Kent, I moved to the University of Queensland in 2001 as an Associate Professor of Bioengineering, then Professorial Research Fellow in the Australian Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology.

I was appointed to a Chair in Bioprocess Engineering at Sheffield in 2006 with a Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award "Research and Training in Biopharmaceutical Bioprocessing for UK Bioindustry".

Research interests

Biopharmaceutical Bioprocessing: At the Interface between Bioscience and Engineering

We are primarily concerned with the production of high-value therapeutic recombinant protein biopharmaceuticals. Unlike traditional small-molecule drugs, biopharmaceuticals such as recombinant monoclonal antibodies are large, complex and relatively fragile proteins which are produced by living cells in culture, genetically engineered to produce the recombinant protein product. Biopharmaceuticals are proving to be highly successful treatments for a variety of serious diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis and a range of cancers. It is anticipated that within the next five to ten years up to fifty percent of all drugs in development will be biopharmaceuticals.

Biopharmaceutical development and production processes (bioprocesses) are complicated and time-consuming. This makes the final drug product expensive and limits the rate at which new drugs can be produced for testing in the clinic. We are developing, in collaboration with our industrial partners, a range of technological approaches that will enable rapid, high-level production of more potent biopharmaceuticals by the engineered cell "factory". This is a global, technology-driven marketplace where research-based innovation and the acquisition of relevant skillsets are key drivers.

Our research spans from single genes to cell populations. We utilise an integrated suite of technology platforms including mammalian cell culture, systems biotechnology, cell engineering, gene expression and protein analysis and characterisation. Our research is multidisciplinary; a synergy of chemical engineering, biochemistry and molecular cell biology. We aim to harness a combination of these technologies to develop new and innovative bioprocess solutions which integrate a fundamental understanding of biosystems with knowledge of industrial biotechnology.

Our laboratory is a bioprocess research and training hub in the UK, a source of internationally competitive young scientists/engineers trained in a flexible, interdisciplinary approach to bioprocess research and development. We value active partnership with our industrial partners, and we aim to work with them to train the next generation of bioprocess professionals.

Current research projects

Nearly all projects are linked with Bioindustry. Key areas for research and training:

Systems Biotechnology for Rational Bioprocess Engineering

A mechanistic understanding of the dynamic network of genetic/regulatory networks that permit functional competence of cells in vitro (a cellular systems control) is of direct relevance to the use of organisms in engineered environments as production vehicles or therapeutic entities themselves. "Systems Biotechnology" will underpin rational cell engineering and bioprocess development.

Cell Factory and Gene Vector Engineering

The biopharmaceutical industry requires highly productive cell-based systems able to rapidly generate recombinant protein product to support bioprocess development and clinical production processes. This will both reduce the necessary scale of unit operations and increase throughput. We are developing technologies to increase product yield and rapidly generate product for bioassay development, biophysical characterisation and in vivo testing. This requires the development of a synergistic combination of host cell engineering, gene vector design, gene delivery vehicle chemistry and cell culture strategy.

Process Analytical Technology

The inherent structural complexity and heterogeneity of biopharmaceuticals imposes a considerable analytical challenge. This is undesirable as production process variables which may affect the molecular consistency of the product cannot be controlled with a real-time feedback of structural information. We aim to develop robust and rapid analytical procedures for protein biopharmaceuticals that can be employed within a production environment to generate relevant datastreams able to facilitate process optimisation and control.