Method of purifying a biological material of interest in a sample using nanofiber ultrafiltration membranes operated in tangential flow filtration mode

• US 10,675,588 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2016
• Issued: 06/09/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EMD Millipore Corporation (Merck & Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EMD Millipore Corporation (Merck & Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Cataldo, William, Kozlov, Mikahil, Xenopoulos, Alex, Aquino, Dennis, Ngan, Clifton
• Primary Examiner(s): Zou, Nianxiang
• Application Number:
  US15/561,579
• Publication Number:
  US 20180085710A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,574 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2239/025 comprising nanofibres apparatus incorporating such gas filtering material see B01D46/546
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2315/16 Diafiltration
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2323/39 Electrospinning
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 39/1623 of synthetic origin
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 61/145 Ultrafiltration
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 67/0004 by agglomeration of particles
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 67/00042 by deposition of fibres, nanofibres or nanofibrils
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 71/54 Polyureas; Polyurethanes
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 71/56 Polyamides, e.g. polyester-amides
• CPC Class Codes: C07K 1/34 by filtration, ultrafiltration or reverse osmosis

Abstract

Embodiments described herein relate to electrospun nanofiber ultrafiltration membrane compositions capable of operating in tangential filtration mode and methods of using the same.

Claims

1. Method of purifying a biological material of interest in a sample comprising:

a. providing a sample containing the biological material of interest having a molecular weight equal to or greater than 500 K Da, wherein the biological material of interest is selected from a therapeutic protein, a conjugated polysaccharide vaccine and a virus-like particle;

b. contacting the sample in tangential filtration (TFF) mode with an electrospun nanofiber membrane composition comprising nylon nanofibers having an average fiber diameter less than 15 nm, thereby resulting in a permeate and a retentate; and

c. collecting the retentate containing the biological material of interest, thereby purifying the biological material of interest.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method results in an increase in the concentration of the biological material of interest.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the electrospun nanofiber composition exhibits a higher water permeability in TFF mode compared to a solution cast polymeric membrane.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the electrospun nanofiber membrane composition exhibits a higher flux in TFF mode compared to a solution cast polymeric membrane.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the collecting step comprises diafiltration.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the electrospun nanofiber membrane composition is made from Nylon-6.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the purified biological material of interest has a 90% yield or greater than 90% yield.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the electrospun nanofiber membrane composition is incorporated into a device suitable for TFF.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the device is a cassette or a spiral wound device.