Surfactant-Treated Filter for Protein Recovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Filtration of proteinaceous matter is inefficient, leading to substantial loss of desirable biological products during processing, despite filtration and purification steps, due to unintended binding of proteins to filter membranes.
Innovation Solution
Pretreating membrane filters with a surfactant, such as polysorbate 80, to reduce the binding of biological products to the filter, allowing for improved recovery and yield of proteins during filtration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If filtration is applied to remove large protein aggregates, then purification is improved, but substantial loss of desirable biological products occurs due to binding to filter membranes
Solution Approach 1:
The filter membrane is pre-treated with a surfactant solution before filtration to modify its surface properties. This preliminary action reduces the binding affinity between the filter membrane and biological products, preventing substantial loss of desirable proteins while maintaining the filter's ability to remove large aggregates
Solution Approach 2:
A surfactant acts as an intermediary substance between the filter membrane and the biological products. The surfactant molecules adsorb onto the filter surface, creating a protective layer that prevents direct interaction and binding between the membrane and proteins, thereby reducing product loss during filtration
2Reliability
If formaldehyde inactivation is used to kill infectious matter, then safety is improved, but crosslinking of proteinaceous matter produces aggregated proteins that complicate filtration
Solution Approach 1:
The filter membrane is pre-treated with surfactant before the inactivation step to ensure that even when aggregate formation occurs during formaldehyde treatment, the filter will effectively capture these aggregates during subsequent filtration while minimizing loss of monomeric proteins through binding
Solution Approach 2:
The crosslinking and aggregate formation caused by formaldehyde inactivation, while complicating the mixture, actually benefits the filtration process. The pre-treated filter with reduced binding affinity can now selectively retain large aggregates (including inactivated virus particles) while allowing monomeric proteins to pass through, converting the harmful aggregate formation into a useful separation mechanism
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 surfactant-treated filters significantly increase the yield of recovered biological products, reducing protein loss and maintaining the integrity and antigenicity of viral proteins, with polysorbate 80 treatment demonstrating a 21-33% improvement in virus recovery and minimizing filter blockage.
Implementation Method 1
The filters are typically hydrophobic and have been found to bind biological products through reduced hydrophobic interactions
Implementation Method 2
The hydrophobic filter is pre-treated with a surfactant which decreases the binding of the biological product of interest to the filter membrane
Data Source
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AI summary
The present application provides methods for filtering a fluid through a filter, wherein the fluid comprises a biological product of interest, such as proteinaceous matter. The biological product is filtered through a filter pretreated with a surfactant.