Enhanced thawing of biopharmaceutical solutions using oscillatory motion

Abstract

Disclosed are methods for thawing frozen biopharmaceutical solutions including providing a container that contains a biopharmaceutical solution, at least a portion of the biopharmaceutical solution being frozen, providing an oscillatory driver coupled to the biopharmaceutical solution; providing a heat flux into the biopharmaceutical solution; and inducing oscillatory motion of the biopharmaceutical solution via oscillatory motion of the oscillatory driver to accelerate thawing, compared to motionless thawing, of the portion of the biopharmaceutical solution that is frozen. Also disclosed are devices for thawing frozen biopharmaceutical solutions.

Description

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60 / 136,708, filed May 28, 1999.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] This invention relates to thawing of biopharmaceutical solutions, more particularly this invention relates to enhanced thawing of biopharmaceutical solutions using oscillatory motion. [0004] 2. Description of Related Art [0005] Freezing and thawing of biological materials, particularly in the form of biopharmaceutical solutions, are useful as an intermediary processing steps during production operations, or for preservation. Until now only small individual quantities of materials, or solutions, have been successfully processed. These quantities may be contained in vials, straws, test tubes, bottles, bags, pouches, trays, etc. However, the materials handling costs, possibility of small container mix-ups, and dangers of contamination during processing and handling such small quan...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008] In an aspect, the invention relates to methods for thawing frozen biopharmaceutical solutions comprising providing a container that contains a biopharmaceutical solution, at least a portion of the biopharmaceutical solution being frozen, providing an oscillatory driver coupled to the biopharmaceuti

Problems solved by technology

However, the materials handling costs, possibility of small container mix-ups, and dangers of contamination during processing and handling such small quantities meant that freezing and thawing processes were disfavored unit operations.

Processing larger individual quantities would reduce or eliminate the handling or contamination problems, but such processing has met with very limited success.

However, in conventional techniques, the thawing time is undesirably long.

In fact, lengthy thawing times, combined with layering and cryoconcentration effects during freezing, leads to significant product degradation.

While in small individual quantities the thawing step could be performed relatively rapidly in a controlled way, the thawing of large individual quantities was plagued by extensive thawing times and product degradation.

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