Prefilter system for biological systems

• US 9,072,988 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2008
• Issued: 07/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: EMD Millipore Corporation (Merck & Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EMD Millipore Corporation (Merck & Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Siwak, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Therkorn, Ernest G
• Application Number:
  US12/075,736
• Publication Number:
  US 20080164195A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,672 Days
• Field of Search: 210/767, 210/788, 210/806, 210/198.2, 210/304, 210/330, 210/331, 210/348, 210/502.1, 210/512.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 15/125 Pre-filtration
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 15/3804 Affinity chromatography
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 15/3809 of the antigen-antibody type, e.g. protein A, G, L chromatography
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2239/0407 comprising particulate additives, e.g. adsorbents
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2239/0428 Rendering the filter material hydrophobic
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2239/065 More than one layer present in the filtering material
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2239/0654 Support layers
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2239/0695 Wound layers
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2311/04 Specific process operations in the feed stream; Feed pretreatment
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2311/2626 Absorption or adsorption
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2311/2649 Filtration
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 29/41 mounted transversely on the tube
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 39/083 of organic material
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 39/086 of inorganic material
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 39/1607 the material being fibrous B01D39/18 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 39/18 the material being cellulose or derivatives thereof cork or peat B01D39/1646 ; making filter paper D21F11/14
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 39/20 of inorganic material, e.g. asbestos paper, metallic filtering material of non-woven wires porous ceramic material C04B38/00 ; sintering metals C22C1/04; making porous sintered metal bodies B22F3/10, honeycomb filters B01D46/2418, materials used for filtering exhaust gases of an internal combustion engine F01N3/022, ceramic honeycomb structures C04B38/0006
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 61/146 comprising multiple ultrafiltration steps
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 61/16 Feed pretreatment
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 69/1411 containing dispersed material in a continuous matrix
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/28014 : characterised by their form
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/28028 : Particles immobilised within fibres or filaments
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 21/00 : Preparation of peptides or proteins single cell protein C12N1/00

Abstract

The present invention is to a prefilter for affinity chromatography columns. The prefilter, positioned upstream of the column inlet, reduces the presence of non-specific binding (NSB) species that enter the system, thereby extending the yield, capacity and lifetime of the column. Suitable agents include but are not limited to hydrophobic entities; lipophilic entities; activated carbon; charged cation or anion entities; ligands; particles such as fumed silica, glass, controlled pore glass or derivitized version of each; silica or silicates; and combinations thereof. The material(s) can be incorporated into a variety of media such as fibers, beads, membranes and the like and then incorporated into a variety of device designs including lenticular pads, depth filters, bead containing columns, spiral wound devices, TFF devices and the like.

Claims

1. A tangential flow fluid (TFF) prefilter device for the selective upstream removal of non-specific binding constituents from a fluid stream containing protein during tangential flow fluid filtration, comprising

an inlet for receiving the protein containing fluid stream being purified;

a central distributor having two sides and in fluid communication with the inlet;

one or more layers of porous filter media located on each side of the distributer and in fluid communication with the distributer, each layer of porous filter media having a different pore size range and containing one or more nonspecific binding agents, wherein the nonspecific binding agents are particle-based materials selected from the group consisting of fumed silica, glass, silica, silicates, controlled pore glass, and combinations thereof,

a collection area in fluid communication with the porous filter media for receiving the protein containing fluid stream filtered through the media, and

an outlet in fluid communication with collection area, such that at least a portion of the protein containing fluid steam passes through the porous filter media on each tangential flow pass.

2. The prefilter device of claim 1, wherein the porous filter media is selected from the group consisting of films, membranes, mats, monoliths, nonwovens, and woven fabrics.

3. The prefilter device of claim 1, wherein the porous filter media is selected from the group consisting of cotton, polyolefins, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl alcohols, fluoropolymers, polyvinyl chlorides, polysulfones, polyarylsulfones, polyethersulfones, polyphenylsulphones, RIFE, polyesters, nylons, polyamides, polyimides, PVDF, celluloses, modified cellulosic materials, composite cellulosic materials, and cellulose acetate.

4. The prefilter device of claim 1, wherein the wherein the particles is a bead having an average diameter of about 10 to about 1000 microns.