Sartobind STIC^® PA Membrane Binds Contaminants Under High-Salt Buffer Conditions

Sartobind STIC anion-exchange membranes overcome the reduced binding capacity of quaternary ammonium membranes by binding contaminants at high conductivities under high-salt conditions at up to 20 mS/cm. The salt-tolerant anion exchanger can directly process cation-exchange pools without further dilution. Buffer consumption and buffer tank investments can be reduced.

Polishing in antibody production is usually performed on quaternary ammonium (Q) membranes in flow-through mode, since the overall speed and productivity is much higher than on traditional anion-exchange columns. However, the binding capacity of Q ligands is reduced at higher conductivities, so concentrated feed streams must be diluted to adequately remove contaminants such as DNA, host cell proteins, viruses and endotoxins.

Sartobind pico with 0.08 ml is the latest member of the Sartobind STIC family with nano, 5”, 10”, 30” and mega capsules. Since all devices are used for flow-through polishing, a 4 mm bed height is kept constant to scale to larger devices up to 1.6 liters. The small membrane volume of 0.08 ml reduces material consumption during testing and virus spiking studies to save cost during the initial development phases.

All membrane adsorber capsules are “plug and play” devices and can be used like filters. As the materials are disposed of after a single use, this saves validation costs.