A tool for modeling strategic decisions in cell culture manufacturing.

The development of a prototype tool for modeling manufacturing in a biopharmaceutical plant is discussed. A hierarchical approach to modeling a manufacturing process has been adopted to confer maximum user flexibility. The use of this framework for assessing the impact of manufacturing decisions on strategic technical and business indicators is demonstrated via a case study. In the case study, which takes the example of a mammalian cell culture process delivering a therapeutic for clinical trials, the dynamic modeling tool indicates how manufacturing options affect the demands on resources and the associated manufacturing costs. The example illustrates how the decision-support software can be used by biopharmaceutical companies to investigate the effects of working toward different strategic goals on the cost-effectiveness of the process, prior to committing to a particular option.

Modelling diagnostic skills in the domain of skeletal dysplasias.

The diagnostic model used in the medical expert system Skeletal Dysplasias Diagnostician (SDD) is discussed. The model aims to capture the diagnostic skills of domain experts. Such skills represent high level strategies which apply across different medical domains and hence the presented model is relatively generic. Preliminary evaluation of an earlier version of the diagnostic model, which yielded promising results, has led to a considerably improved model. A sample consultation given in an appendix illustrates most aspects of the current model. The paper concludes by giving the authors' practical insights into the knowledge engineering of medical diagnostic systems.