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How many kilograms of product will this batch give?

Titer to batch yield calculator (harvest and final mass)

From the product concentration in the culture (titer) and the culture volume, works out the total product at harvest, then applies the overall purification recovery to estimate the drug substance you end up with.

When to use itUse it to estimate kilograms of antibody per production batch when planning the number of batches or the cost of goods.

Prefilled with an example: an antibody at 3 g/L in a 2,000 L culture, with 65% surviving purification. Change any value and the result updates.

g/L

Grams of the target protein per liter of culture. A few g/L is one benchmark for antibodies.

L

The liquid volume in the production bioreactor (working volume).

%

The share that survives from harvest through purification to drug substance.

Final drug substance3,900 g
Total product in the culture (harvest mass)6,000 g
Final drug substance in kg3.9 kg

One 2,000 L batch should give about 3.9 kg (3,900 g) of drug substance. To get more, raise the titer in culture or cut losses in purification.

Tips for the estimate

  • Effect of titerTiter drives the cost of goodsDouble the titer and the same plant yields roughly twice as much. Raising titer in culture has a strong effect on cost of goods.
  • Effect of recoveryEach purification step takes its shareLosses at each step add up and cut the final amount. Raising recovery at the weakest step helps most (see also the step and overall yield calculator).

How it is calculated

Titer × volume is the total product in the culture (harvest mass), and multiplying it by the end-to-end purification recovery gives the estimated drug substance you end up with.

harvest mass (g) = titer (g/L) × culture volume (L) final drug substance (g) = harvest mass × overall recovery (%) ÷ 100

Source: Total product in the culture = titer × volume, and the amount you end up with = total × overall recovery. This is basic mass balance.

With your numbers

  1. harvest mass = titer × culture volume = 3 × 2,000 = 6,000 g
  2. final drug substance = harvest mass × overall recovery ÷ 100 = 6,000 × 65 ÷ 100 = 3,900 g

Limits of this calculation

  • Titer, volume and recovery all vary with batch and process conditions. The result here is one estimate.
  • The total shifts with how volume and titer are measured (HPLC, A280, activity and so on). The estimate assumes the same methods throughout.
  • Final drug substance may count only material that meets specification. Consider out-of-specification material and reprocessing separately. Treat the result as an estimate for learning.

Primary sources

Every calculator gives an estimate for learning, built on published information and primary sources. Real decisions follow the applicable guidance and expert judgment.