Biomedical subjects

G Purdom

Publications and source records attributed to G Purdom.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2001

Performance comparison of suspended bed and batch contactor chromatography.

In some applications, the purification and recovery of biomolecules is performed via a cascade of batch adsorption and desorption stages using agitated contactors and related filtration devices. Suspended bed chromatography is a recent process-scale innovation that is applicable to these separations. This hybrid technique exploits the benefits of combining batch adsorption in an agitated contactor with elution in an enclosed column system. To some extent, the process is similar to batch contactor chromatography but can be fully contained and significantly quicker. The process has two steps; first the fluid containing the sample is mixed with the adsorbent in a stirred tank. Second, the slurry suspension is transferred directly into a specialized column, such as an IsoPak column. The media with the adsorbed product is formed as a packed bed, whilst the suspension liquid is passed out of the column. The product is then eluted from the packed bed utilizing standard column-chromatography techniques. The performance of the suspended bed and the agitated contactor operations are demonstrated both by full-scale experimental results and process simulations. The purification of ovalbumin from a hen-egg white feedstock by anion-exchange chromatography was used as a case study in order to prove the concept. With the availability of both pump-packed systems and shear-resistant media, suspended bed chromatography is a better alternative for a range of applications than the traditional batch separations using agitated contactors.

Adsorption↗

PubMed2001

Characterizing the performance of industrial-scale columns.

The performance of a large commercial chromatographic column was investigated using a short pulse of a tracer and an extension of the reverse-flow technique. This technique permits separate determination of the unavoidable irreversible microscopic processes and the reversible effects of flow maldistribution, and allows for the separation of flow maldistribution in the flow distributors from flow maldistribution inside the packed bed. This analysis was performed on a 0.44 m Millipore IsoPak column using Cellufine GC 700, cellulosic-based media with an average particle diameter of 75 microm, for the stationary phase. The column efficiency was quantified by analysis of the effluent curve from a short pulse of a 5% aqueous acetone tracer. The study examined behavior of beds of different lengths (10-24 cm) and beds packed from different slurry concentrations (10-75% v/v). The slurry-packed columns were very uniform, and no significant macroscopic flow maldistribution was observed inside the column. The observed bed plate heights conformed to the predictions of available one-dimensional continuum models. Dispersion in the flow distributors was significant, corresponding to 15-25% of the intracolumn dispersion when the full 24 cm available bed length was used and a proportionally larger increase for shorter bed lengths. Thus, the headers are shown to produce a significant increase in the observed plate height.

Chromatography, Liquid↗

PubMed2001

Advances in process chromatography gradient elution using binary linear gradients.

A number of chromatography techniques utilize mobile phase gradients with changing buffer concentration to effect separation. At process scale the majority of gradients are stepwise or isocratic. There are a number of instances where process performance or economics indicate that linear gradients would deliver better theoretical performance. However, to date this process advantage has not been implemented due to concerns about the accuracy, reliability or reproducibility of equipment used to produce linear changes in gradient composition. In this manuscript, recent developments in simple feedforward control and data from the resultant process-scale performance are presented. Information is provided on the practical heuristics underlying the control strategy. The data presented in this paper illustrate how the feedforward control strategy has been implemented on a commercial system to achieve better than +/- 2% accuracy of process-scale linear gradients.

Chromatography, Liquid↗

PubMed2000

Suspended bed chromatography, a new approach in downstream processing.

A new technique in downstream processing, suspended bed chromatography has been developed. This hybrid technique exploiting the benefits of batch adsorption and the process advantages of an enclosed column system can be carried out using established contactors and adsorbents. A 44 cm I.D. IsoPak column and the anion-exchange cellulose Express-Ion Exchanger Q were used in the purification of ovalbumin from hen-egg white. After suspension of 16.25 kg Express-Ion Q in 500 l of feedstock containing 5 g protein/l, adsorption was effected by recirculation of the suspension using the IsoPak slurry preparation station. Protein-loaded adsorbent was collected in the IsoPak column unit, where it was washed and protein desorbed using gradient elution at a flow-rate of 300 cm/h. The entire process was complete in under 3 h. With the introduction of pump-packed column systems and the availability of mechanically strong adsorbents suitable for column separations, suspended bed chromatography offers a new approach to downstream processing and provides a less challenging alternative to batch separations.

Adsorption↗

PubMed2000

The microphthalmia transcription factor regulates expression of the tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase gene during terminal differentiation of osteoclasts.

The defective terminal differentiation of osteoclasts in mice homozygous for the mi allele of the microphthalmia transcription factor (MITF) gene implies that MITF plays a critical role in regulating gene expression during osteoclast ontogeny. To begin addressing the role of this transcription factor in the osteoclast, target genes need to be identified. In the present work, several lines of evidence show that the gene encoding the enzyme tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) is a target of MITF. Analysis of osteoclasts in vivo in the embryonic forelimb showed that MITF and TRAP RNA were coexpressed in a dynamic pattern during the process of endochondral ossification of long bone. Primary osteoclast-like cells (OCLs) produced from mi/mi mutant mice expressed TRAP messenger RNA (mRNA) at 8-fold lower levels than in OCLs derived from normal mice, indicating a direct link between MITF function and TRAP expression. The activity of mouse TRAP promoter-reporter genes was assayed in the primary OCLs by DNA-mediated transfection, and this activity was shown to depend on a conserved sequence (GGTCATGTGAG) located in the proximal promoter. Recombinant MITF protein recognized specifically this conserved sequence element. Expression of a TRAP promoter-green fluorescent protein (GFP) transgene mimicked the expression of the endogenous TRAP gene during differentiation of osteoclast-like cells, and the expression of the transgene was decreased 8-fold when placed into the mutant mi/mi background. These results are consistent with a role for MITF in gene expression during terminal differentiation of the osteoclast and will allow osteoclast-specific mechanisms of gene regulation to be studied in greater detail.

Acid Phosphatase↗