NCSRT Presents SmartFlow™ TFF Performance Advantages Over Centrifugation and Microfiltration for Monoclonal Antibody Recovery, Concentration and Diafiltration

Apex, NC, February 08, 2008 --(PR.com)-- NCSRT is presenting “A comparison of product yield using either centrifugation and microfiltration or simultaneous membrane processing with SmartFlow™ TFF” at the Waterside Conference in Miami, FL. The data, generated by Viventia Biotech of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, demonstrates monoclonal antibody F (ab) fragment yield improvements of 345% when compared to centrifugation, microfiltration, and diafiltration processes previously employed. The scientists at Viventia examined two different centrifuge technologies, stack disc and tubular bowl configurations. The SmartFlow filtration system was designed to operate in a concurrent process with the antibody fragment being harvested using a 0.2 um microfilter in the first loop and the target product being concentrated in a second loop with a 30 kDa ultrafilter. The permeate from the second loop was fed back into the first loop harvest tank to serve as the diafiltration buffer.

In addition to the significantly improved yield, the concurrent process system from NCSRT reduces downstream cycle time for the filtration, concentration, and diafiltration by 40%, saves thousands of liters of diafiltration buffer, reduces capital costs for tanks, and reduces filter element costs. The test result data predicted that the improved yield would reduce the number of fermentation runs required to produce 1 kg of product from 38 to 12. The benefit of the reduction in fermentation runs required to produce one kg of product provided additional cost savings and increased the annualized production capacity of the plant significantly.

Working collaboratively with NCSRT provided Viventia scientists a rapid, cost effective solution for dramatically improving the efficiency of their downstream processes.

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