Cross-Flow Membrane Filtration for Repeatable Intestinal Flora Recovery
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for separating and recovering intestinal flora, such as fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), face challenges in achieving standardized, efficient, and repeatable extraction of intestinal bacteria due to issues like loss of bacteria during centrifugation, poor repeatability, and inefficiencies in existing filtration technologies, leading to inconsistent therapeutic effects.
Innovation Solution
A device and method utilizing cross-flow filtration with a microporous membrane ultra-fine module for precise and controlled collection of intestinal flora, including an impurity removal module and a target content collecting module, using microporous membranes with specific pore sizes and porosity, and a combination of coarse and fine filtration stages to enhance separation efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If centrifugation is used to separate intestinal flora, then bacteria can be concentrated, but bacteria are lost during the process
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a microporous membrane with specifically controlled pore size (0.22-5.0 μm) to filter and concentrate intestinal flora. The porous structure allows bacteria to pass through while retaining larger impurities, achieving concentration without the mechanical stress and loss associated with centrifugation. The membrane's pore size is optimized to match typical bacterial dimensions, ensuring high recovery rates.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the centrifugal mechanical separation system with a filtration-based system using microporous membranes. This substitution eliminates the need for high-speed rotation and differential settling, reducing mechanical stress on bacteria and preventing loss during transfer between centrifuge tubes and processing steps.
2Reliability
If traditional filtration methods are used, then impurities can be removed, but separation efficiency is poor and repeatability is inconsistent
Solution Approach 1:
The patent systematically optimizes critical parameters including membrane pore size (0.22-5.0 μm), filtration flow rate (5-50 mL/min), and membrane area (10-100 cm²) to achieve consistent and repeatable separation results. These parameter ranges are determined through experimentation to balance impurity removal with bacterial recovery, ensuring reliable reproduction across different batches and operators.
Solution Approach 2:
The filtration process is divided into multiple sequential stages using membranes with progressively smaller pore sizes. This segmentation allows progressive removal of impurities while preserving bacteria, with each stage targeting specific size ranges of contaminants. The multi-stage approach improves both efficiency and repeatability compared to single-stage filtration.
3Ease of operation
If manual operation is used for FMT preparation, then flexibility is maintained, but operational complexity increases and standardization is difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The device integrates multiple functions into a single system: filtration, concentration, and sample preparation are combined in one apparatus. The microporous membrane module serves both as a filter and a concentration device, eliminating the need for separate centrifugation tubes, transfer pipettes, and multiple processing vessels, thereby simplifying operations while maintaining standardization.
Solution Approach 2:
The filtration system is designed to be self-regulating, with flow rates automatically controlled by the pressure differential across the membrane and the viscosity of the sample. This reduces the need for precise manual control of flow rates and timing, making the process more straightforward and easier to standardize across different users.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The method achieves high extraction rates and efficiencies, retaining the relative abundance of bacterial species, ensuring consistent quality, and reducing operational complexity, thereby improving the therapeutic potential of FMT.
Implementation Method 1
cross-flow filtration with a microporous membrane ultra-fine module
Implementation Method 2
microporous membranes with specific pore sizes and porosity
Data Source
AI summary
A device and method for separating and recovering intestinal contents, comprising removing the impurities from the intestinal contents by means of coarse filtration and cross-flow fine filtration, followed by obtaining a concentrate by microporous membrane cross-flow filter, and collecting the target contents. The microporous membrane has a spongy porous structure, and can rapidly and effectively achieve the separation and recovery of flora from the intestinal contents by cooperation with cross-flow filtration. The separated and recovered dry flora comprises at least 10-20% of the initial wet intestinal contents, and comprises at least 1011/1 g dry flora.