Alternative methods in microbial QC: Evaluating the use of ATCC® MicroQuant™ as a ready-to-use commercial reference microorganism preparation on the Growth Direct® System
PDA Pharmaceutical Microbiology Conference 2025
Washington, DC, United States
October 27, 2025Abstract
In the pharmaceutical industry, maintaining the highest standards of microbial quality control (QC) is critical to ensure safety and efficiency of pharmaceutical products. Precisely quantified reference microbial standards play a vital role in validating alternative microbiological methods by ensuring accurate, consistent, and reproducible results.
This study evaluates the use and performance of ATCC MicroQuant™ reference material with the Rapid Micro Biosystems Growth Direct® System EM and Bioburden applications, showcasing an alternative approach to traditional microbial QC.
Download the poster to explore an alternative approach for validating microbiological methods in the pharmaceutical industry
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Shravani Tadepalli, MS
Staff Scientist, Microbiology, Rapid Micro Biosystems
Shravani Tadepalli is a Staff Scientist in R&D Microbiology at Rapid Micro Biosystems. She has over a decade of experience leading projects in clinical, food, agricultural, and pharmaceutical microbiology, driving new product development for rapid microbial detection technologies and supporting customer applications. Over her career, she has led method validation initiatives, implemented alternative microbial testing strategies, and contributed to scientific publications, white papers, and poster presentations. Shravani holds a bachelor’s degree in Microbiology and a master’s in clinical Microbiology.
Rahul Tevatia, PhD
Senior Scientist, Cryobiology, ATCC
Dr. Rahul Tevatia is a Senior Scientist at ATCC, where he leads product innovation in biopreservation and formatting technologies in the scope of developing advanced strategic products. With over a decade of experience in the medical devices and health tech industry, he has played a pivotal role in launching and manufacturing MicroQuant™ reference materials aligned with US Pharmacopeia monographs and establishing ISO compliance frameworks to support new business partnerships. Dr. Tevatia holds a PhD in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and he has post-doctoral experience from Johns Hopkins University. His work bridges technical excellence and strategic development, contributing to product innovation.
Streamline microbial QC testing with MicroQuant™
MicroQuant™ is ATCC's new product line of precisely quantitated microbial reference materials used to streamline microbial quality control testing. We developed an innovative cryopreservation technology to provide our best-in-class microbial controls in the form of stable, rapidly rehydrating pellets that deliver consistent quantitation and accurate, reproducible results—addressing the key challenges faced by microbial testing laboratories.
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