Multimembrane Technology Simplifies Protein Purification

Chemical engineers have developed a new filtration system that permits fast and inexpensive separation and purification of two different proteins of relatively close molecular weight.

Investigators at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (Newark, USA) created a multimembrane stack by stacking membrane filters in series without any gaskets or spacers in between. Ultrafiltration was carried out to separate two proteins relatively close in molecular weight or size such as myoglobin and beta-lactoglobulin or myoglobin and alpha-lactalbumin. They reported in the June 20, 2004, issue of Biotechnology and Bioengineering that membrane rejection of a protein was amplified with each additional membrane, ultimately resulting in a completely rejected species. Solvent flux reduction encountered when each membrane was added was avoided by operating at increased pressure.

"Now using a new kind of membrane that we invented, the proteins can have almost the same molecular weight, said senior author Dr. Kamalesh K. Sirkar, professor of chemical engineering at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. "The process also will be more cost-effective because the machines can run on a continuous basis. This is good news, since to separate the good from the bad proteins is an important engineering breakthrough. We believe that pharmaceutical companies will immediately be able to put our research to work.”




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New Jersey Institute of Technology