Speaker
Description
Accurately predicting microbial growth across varying environmental conditions and cultivation scales remains a central challenge in mathematical biology. ODE models offer mechanistic interpretability but typically rely on fixed kinetic parameters, restricting their validity to narrow operating ranges. Data-driven approaches such as Response Surface Methodology (RSM) \cite{Breig2021} accommodate parameter variability yet either disregard temporal dynamics or risk generating biologically implausible trajectories.
We propose a hybrid framework embedding bounded, biologically interpretable RSM surfaces into ODE systems, letting kinetic parameters vary continuously with environmental factors. We validate the framework on microalgae cultures grown in microplates (200 µL) and flasks (50 mL), spanning 85 combinations of light intensity and nutrient availability for a total of over 1,300 growth curves. The model captures nonlinear light–nutrient interactions, predicts growth trajectories under untested conditions, and consistently outperforms classical mechanistic benchmarks \cite{Kambe2022, Martínez2020}.
We further show that microplate- and flask-derived parameter surfaces are related through morphological transformations, suggesting that the functional structure of growth responses is conserved across a 250-fold volume increase. This opens perspectives for high-throughput screening strategies \cite{Wolf2024} where small-scale experiments inform larger-scale bioprocess design.
Bibliography
@article{Breig2021,
title = {Response surface methodology: {A} review on its applications and challenges in microbial cultures},
volume = {42},
issn = {22147853},
shorttitle = {Response surface methodology},
url = {https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S221478532040032X},
doi = {10.1016/j.matpr.2020.12.316},
language = {en},
urldate = {2026-02-25},
journal = {Materials Today: Proceedings},
author = {Breig, Sura Jasem Mohammed and Luti, Khalid Jaber Kadhum},
year = {2021},
pages = {2277--2284},
}
@article{Kambe2022,
title = {A parametric logistic equation with light flux and medium concentration for cultivation planning of microalgae},
volume = {19},
issn = {1742-5662},
url = {https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsif.2022.0166},
doi = {10.1098/rsif.2022.0166},
language = {en},
number = {191},
urldate = {2026-02-25},
journal = {Journal of The Royal Society Interface},
author = {Kambe, Kazuki and Hirokawa, Yasutaka and Koshi, Asuka and Hori, Yutaka},
month = jun,
year = {2022},
pages = {20220166},
}
@article{Martínez2020,
title = {Dynamics of the periodically forced light-limited {Droop} model},
volume = {269},
issn = {00220396},
url = {https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0022039620301273},
doi = {10.1016/j.jde.2020.03.020},
language = {en},
number = {4},
urldate = {2026-02-25},
journal = {Journal of Differential Equations},
author = {Martínez, Carlos and Mairet, Francis and Bernard, Olivier},
month = aug,
year = {2020},
pages = {3890--3913},
}
@incollection{Wolf2024,
address = {Cham},
title = {High-{Throughput} {Screening} to {Accelerate} {Microalgae}-{Based} {Phycochemical} {Production}},
isbn = {9783031420252 9783031420269},
url = {https://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-3-031-42026-9_10},
language = {en},
urldate = {2026-02-25},
booktitle = {Value-added {Products} from {Algae}},
publisher = {Springer International Publishing},
author = {Wolf, Juliane and Chapman, Robert and Deepika, Charu and Pietri, Mélanie and Bensalem, Sakina and Hankamer, Ben},
editor = {Abomohra, Abdelfatah and Ende, Stephan},
year = {2024},
doi = {10.1007/978-3-031-42026-9_10},
pages = {273--319},
}
