285: Why Your Dormant Omics Data Is Worth More Than the Data You'll Generate Next with Nathan Lewis - Part 1

Dormant omics data are a goldmine for CMC innovation waiting to be unlocked. But legacy structures, poor annotation, and spreadsheet chaos hold most biotech teams back from the real breakthroughs. Nathan Lewis, GRA Eminent Scholar at the Center for Molecular Medicine, Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Georgia, has a clear message: actionable data is now within reach thanks to hybrid modeling, advanced study design, and AI as a true scientific collaborator. Topics discussed: Rethinking the dogma: controlling protein glycosylation quality from the inside out, not just by bioprocess conditions (03:00) Nathan Lewis’s journey into science and bioprocessing, from unexpected college choices to pivotal advances in CHO cell engineering (05:12) The evolution of omics in bioprocessing: why actionable insights, not just big datasets, should be the goal (10:49) Strategic advice for structuring, annotating, and making old and new datasets ready for AI and LLM analysis (17:34) The balance between mechanistic and machine learning models—when each makes sense, and why hybrid modeling is gaining ground (22:20) The current and future role of digital twins in process development and why foundation models and data consortia matter for scalability (26:24) Smart insight: The real revolution isn’t in making new data, but in unlocking the value of what already exists. Advances in AI, hybrid modeling, and collaborative standards promise to turn decades-old data into a catalyst for innovation—enabling faster, smarter, and more reliable bioprocess development. If this got you thinking about the data already sitting in your freezer — and what it would take to actually use it — start here. These four dig into AI-ready data, actionable omics, hybrid-model digital twins, and the cell-engineering biology underneath it all. Episodes 263 - 264: Why AI and Automation Tools Won't Deliver Until Your Lab's Data Is Connected with David Hardy Episodes 173 - 174: Mastering Hybrid Model Digital Twins: From Lab Scale to Commercial Bioprocessing with Krist Gernaey Episodes 169 - 170: Why Your DNA Is a Terrible Disease Predictor (And How Multi-Omics Changes Everything) with Mo Jain Episodes 77 - 78: Cell Factories Explained: How Synthetic Biology and AI Revolutionize Protein Production with Mauro Torres If you'd rather follow the glycosylation thread, check Episodes 69 - 70: Glycoanalytics Explained with Róisín O'Flaherty Connect with Nathan Lewis: Website: www.lewislab.uga.edu LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/nathanelewis Free 5-day email course, The CMC Failure Chain: the five recurring CMC mistakes that put your promising program at risk → Get it here Support the show