Bioprocess engineering: micromanaging Chinese hamster ovary cell phenotypes

Fundamental to the efficient production of quality biopharmaceuticals is the selection, optimization and tailored manipulation of the mammalian cellular production host. Engineering of these cell factories, predominantly the Chinese hamster ovary cell and advancements in bioprocess regimens have led to greatly increased product titres. The ability of miRNAs to regulate gene expression on a global level has generated considerable interest in these molecules as potential cell engineering targets. In this review, we briefly describe their organization and biogenesis and discuss their attributes as engineering tools in Chinese hamster ovary cells. The development of particular engineering strategies based upon further dissection of miRNA behavior will be considered, with particular emphasis on encouraging examples in Chinese hamster ovary cells and their potential for further development.