Trace Elements and their Impact on Cell Culture Media
Webinar
Trace elements are essential but often overlooking cell growth, productivity, metabolism, and critical quality attributes such as glycosylation. Variability in TE impurities from raw materials can introduce significant lot-to-lot differences, impacting process consistency, product quality, and manufacturing robustness. This webinar explores the evolving challenges of TE control, the impact of changing raw material supply chains, and practical case studies demonstrating TE-driven variability. Participants will learn how TE-controlled raw materials, advanced analytics, and predictive tools can reduce risk and enable more consistent biomanufacturing outcomes.
In this webinar, you will learn:
- The identity, source, and impact of TEs in cell culture media applications
- How TE variability has affected the CCM industry and why it matters
- What is currently available and what is to come
- How customers with new and existing processes can benefit from modern era raw materials
- Practical examples highlighting the impact of TE impurities and how companies resolved challenges
Speakers
Colin Ladd
Merck
Senior Scientist, Applied Material Sciences
Colin Ladd is a Senior Scientist in the Cell Culture Media Applied Material Science group. His academic background includes a Bachelor's in Chemistry and a Master's degree in Materials Chemistry. After 6 years in the pharmaceutical industry responsible for analytical research and development, formulation chemistry, and regulatory (USFDA) communications, he joined the Cell Culture Media industry with focus on chemical properties of raw materials used for chemically-defined media products. Colin supports numerous projects within the cell culture space, including trace element investigations and optimizations, with both supply chain and customer collaborations
Chas Hernandez
Merck
Senior Supervisor, Applied Material Sciences
Chas is the senior supervisor of Applied Material Sciences for our company, based in Lenexa, Kansas. Applied Material Sciences is part of the Cell Culture Media Value Stream, responsible for development and maintenance of cell culture raw material risk management and mitigation processes. He has extensive experience in the cell culture media industry, including leading multiple cell culture media development projects for vaccine platforms and as a customer relations manager for strategic customer partnerships.
Chad Schroeder
Merck
R&D Manager, Customer Collaborations & Investigations
Chad Schroeder is the R&D Manager for the Customer Collaborations & Investigations team within the Process Materials & Cell Culture group of Process Solutions, Life Science. His team works closely with customers of the cell culture franchise to help them troubleshoot and optimize their bioprocesses and materials. Chad has over 11 years of experience of problem solving and providing solutions to the cell culture industry while at our company. Previously, he worked for 6 years as a medicinal chemist for the KU Specialized Chemistry Center, synthesizing novel leads for the pharmaceutical industry. Chad holds B.S. degrees in Biology and Behavioral Neuroscience and a M.S. in Medicinal Chemistry from the University of Kansas.
Pharma and biopharma manufacturing
- mRNA
Duration:1h
Language:English
Session 1:Thu, October 15, 2026 11:00 AM ET