Preparation of high-capacity strong cation exchange membrane for protein adsorption via surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization

Bioseparation using membrane chromatography: Innovations, and challenges

The resin-based column continues to be the dominant incumbent in bioprocess chromatography. While alternative formats such as membrane-, monolith- and fiber-based chromatography are more visible than before, each still plays minor roles. The reasons for this are complex and some of these are explained in this paper. However, the fact remains that membrane chromatography has come a long way since its early days of development. The main advantage of membrane chromatography continues to be its convection dominant transport mechanism, the resultant benefit being fast and scalable separation. Also, resolution obtained with properly designed devices could be comparable or even better than resin-based chromatography. Significant progress has been made in new membrane development, membrane characterization, device design and novel applications development. A wider range of new membrane matrices, ligands, and ligand-matrix linking chemistries are now available. New membrane modules, formats, and process configurations have also helped improve membrane performance. However, some significant challenges still exist, and these need to be addressed if membrane chromatography is to become more mainstream in the field of bioprocessing. Also, membrane chromatography has significant potential for application in analytical separations and this space has hardly been explored. In this paper, the advances in the areas of membrane preparation, device design and process development are reviewed. A high-level cost analysis is presented and the role of process design in membrane chromatography is discussed.

Adsorption and purification performance of lysozyme from chicken egg white using ion exchange nanofiber membrane modified by ethylene diamine and bromoacetic acid

A high-performance polyacid ion exchange (IEX) nanofiber membrane was used in membrane chromatography for the recovery of lysozyme from chicken egg white (CEW). The polyacid IEX nanofiber membrane (P-BrA) was prepared by the functionalization of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofiber membrane with ethylene diamine (EDA) and bromoacetic acid (BrA). The adsorption performance of P-BrA was evaluated under various operating conditions using Pall filter holder. The results showed that optimal conditions of IEX membrane chromatography for lysozyme adsorption were 10% (w/v) of CEW, pH 9 and 0.1 mL/min. The purification factor and yield of lysozyme were 402 and 91%, respectively. The adsorption process was further scaled up to a larger loading volume, and the purification performance was found to be consistent. Furthermore, the regeneration of IEX nanofiber membrane was achieved under mild conditions. The adsorption process was repeated for five times and the adsorption capacity of adsorber was found to be unaffected.

Synthesis of Cellulose-graft-Polypropionic Acid Nanofiber Cation-Exchange Membrane Adsorbers for High-Efficiency Separations

Fabrication of membrane adsorbers with elevated binding capacity and high throughput is highly desired for simplifying and improving purification efficiencies of bioproducts (biotherapeutics, vaccines, etc.) in the biotechnological and biopharmaceutical industries. Here we demonstrate the preparation of a novel class of self-supported, cellulose-graft-polypropionic acid (CL-g-PPA) cation-exchange nanofiber membrane adsorbers under mild reaction conditions for the purification of positively charged therapeutic proteins. In our fabrication method, acrylonitrile was first polymerized and surface grafted onto cellulose nanofibers using cerium ammonium nitrate as a redox initiator to form cellulose-g-polyacrylonitrile (CL-g-PAN). CL-g-PAN was then submitted to a hydrolyzation reaction to form CL-g-PPA cationic membrane adsorbers. Morphology and structural characterization illustrated the formation of CL-g-PPA membranes with uniform coating of polyacid nanolayers along the individual nanofibers without disturbing the nanofiber structure. Benefiting from these numerous cationic polyacid binding sites and inherent large surface area and open porous structure, CL-g-PPA nanofiber membrane adsorbers showed a lysozyme static adsorption capacity of 1664 mg/g of nanofibers. These membranes showed a lysozyme dynamic binding capacity of 508 mg/g of nanofibers at 10% breakthrough (equivalent to 206 g/L capacity), with a residence time of less than 6 s. Moreover, CL-g-PPA self-supported nanofibers displayed excellent structural stability and reversibility after several cycles of protein binding studies. This dynamic binding capacity of the CL-g-PPA nanofiber membranes was 3.2 times higher than that of macroporous cellulose membranes and 8.5 times higher than that of the Sartobind S commercial membrane adsorber. Considering the simple fabrication method employed, excellent protein adsorption capacity, remarkable structural stability, and reusability, CL-g-PPA nanofiber membranes provided a versatile platform for the chromatographic separations of biomolecules (e.g., proteins, nucleic acids, and viral vaccines) as well as water purification and similar ion-exchange applications.

Surface-Initiated Controlled Radical Polymerization: State-of-the-Art, Opportunities, and Challenges in Surface and Interface Engineering with Polymer Brushes

The generation of polymer brushes by surface-initiated controlled radical polymerization (SI-CRP) techniques has become a powerful approach to tailor the chemical and physical properties of interfaces and has given rise to great advances in surface and interface engineering. Polymer brushes are defined as thin polymer films in which the individual polymer chains are tethered by one chain end to a solid interface. Significant advances have been made over the past years in the field of polymer brushes. This includes novel developments in SI-CRP, as well as the emergence of novel applications such as catalysis, electronics, nanomaterial synthesis and biosensing. Additionally, polymer brushes prepared via SI-CRP have been utilized to modify the surface of novel substrates such as natural fibers, polymer nanofibers, mesoporous materials, graphene, viruses and protein nanoparticles. The last years have also seen exciting advances in the chemical and physical characterization of polymer brushes, as well as an ever increasing set of computational and simulation tools that allow understanding and predictions of these surface-grafted polymer architectures. The aim of this contribution is to provide a comprehensive review that critically assesses recent advances in the field and highlights the opportunities and challenges for future work.

Protein adsorption and desorption behavior of a pH-responsive membrane based on ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer

The pH-responsive protein adsorption and desorption of a poly(DMAEMA)-grafted EVAL membrane was observed.

Preparation of 4-vinylpyridine (4VP) resin and its adsorption performance for heavy metal ions

The study focused on the preparation of a chelating resin with pyridine ring as the functional group.

Scalable Fabrication of Electrospun Nanofibrous Membranes Functionalized with Citric Acid for High-Performance Protein Adsorption

Fabricating protein adsorbents with high adsorption capacity and appreciable throughput is extremely important and highly desired for the separation and purification of protein products in the biomedical and pharmaceutical industries, yet still remains a great challenge. Herein, we demonstrate the synthesis of a novel protein adsorbent by in situ functionalizing eletrospun ethylene-vinyl alcohol (EVOH) nanofibrous membranes (NFM) with critic acid (CCA). Taking advantage of the merits of large specific surface area, highly tortuous open-porous structure, abundant active carboxyl groups introduced by CCA, superior chemical stability, and robust mechanical strength, the obtained CCA-grafted EVOH NFM (EVOH-CCA NFM) present an excellent integrated protein (take lysozyme as the model protein) adsorption performance with a high capacity of 284 mg g(-1), short equilibrium time of 6 h, ease of elution, and good reusability. Meanwhile, the adsorption performance of EVOH-CCA NFM can be optimized by regulating buffer pH, ionic strength, and initial concentration of protein solutions. More importantly, a dynamic binding efficiency of 250 mg g(-1) can be achieved driven solely by the gravity of protein solution, which matches well with the demands of the high yield and energy conservation in the actual protein purification process. Furthermore, the resultant EVOH-CCA NFM also possess unique selectivity for positively charged proteins which was confirmed by the method of sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Significantly, the successful synthesis of such intriguing and economic EVOH-CCA NFM may provide a promising candidate for the next generation of protein adsorbents for rapid, massive, and cost-effective separation and purification of proteins.

Porphyrin-functionalized porous polysulfone membrane towards an optical sensor membrane for sorption and detection of cadmium(II)

In this study, an optical sensor membrane was prepared for sorption and detection of cadmium(II) (Cd(II)) in aqueous solution. A polyanion, poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) (PNaSS), was grafted onto the chloromethylated polysulfone (CMPSF) microporous membrane via surface-initiated ATRP. 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-N-methylpyridyl) porphyrin p-toluenesulfonate (TMPyP) was immobilized onto the PNaSS-grafted polysulfone (PSF-PNaSS) membrane through electrostatic interaction. The TMPyP-functionalized membrane exhibited an enhanced sorption for, and distinct color and spectral response to cadmium(II) (Cd(II)) in aqueous solution. Larger immobilization capacity of TMPyP on the membrane led to stronger sorption for Cd(II), and smaller one made the optical sensor have a faster (in minutes) and more sensitive response to the ion. The detection limit study indicated that the functional membrane with proper amount of TMPyP (<0.5 mg/g) could still have color and spectral response to Cd(II) solutions at an extreme low concentration (10(-4) mg/L). The optical sensor membrane exhibited good stability and reusability which made it efficient for various sorptive removal and detection applications.

High-capacity strong cation exchanger prepared from an inactivated immobilized enzyme and its application to the removal of methylene blue from water

Inactivated immobilized enzymes were reutilized by converting into a strong cation exchanger by using surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization, and the cation exchanger was used to remove methylene blue from water.

Protein adsorption by a high-capacity cation-exchange membrane prepared via surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization

A weak cation-exchange membrane was prepared via surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization of glycidyl methacrylate and subsequent two-step derivation, and then two new parameters were used to explain the protein adsorption behavior.

Functionalizing Microporous Membranes for Protein Purification and Protein Digestion

This review examines advances in the functionalization of microporous membranes for protein purification and the development of protease-containing membranes for controlled protein digestion prior to mass spectrometry analysis. Recent studies confirm that membranes are superior to bead-based columns for rapid protein capture, presumably because convective mass transport in membrane pores rapidly brings proteins to binding sites. Modification of porous membranes with functional polymeric films or TiO₂ nanoparticles yields materials that selectively capture species ranging from phosphopeptides to His-tagged proteins, and protein-binding capacities often exceed those of commercial beads. Thin membranes also provide a convenient framework for creating enzyme-containing reactors that afford control over residence times. With millisecond residence times, reactors with immobilized proteases limit protein digestion to increase sequence coverage in mass spectrometry analysis and facilitate elucidation of protein structures. This review emphasizes the advantages of membrane-based techniques and concludes with some challenges for their practical application.

Membrane adsorbers comprising grafted glycopolymers for targeted lectin binding

This work details the design and testing of affinity membrane adsorbers for lectin purifications that incorporate glucose-containing glycopolymers. It is the selective interaction between the sugar residues of the glycopolymer and the complementary carbohydrate-binding domain of the lectin that provides the basis for the isolation and purification of lectins from complex biological media. The design approach used in these studies was to graft glycopolymer 'tentacles' from macroporous regenerated cellulose membranes by atom transfer radical polymerization. As shown in earlier studies, this design approach can be used to prepare high-productivity membrane adsorbers. The model lectin, concanavalin A (conA), was used to evaluate membrane performance in bind-and-elute purification, using a low molecular weight sugar for elution. The membrane capacity for binding conA was measured at equilibrium and under dynamic conditions using flow rates of 0.1 and 1.0 mL/min. The first Damkohler number was estimated to relate the adsorption rate to the convective mass transport rate through the membrane bed. It was used to assess whether adsorption kinetics or mass transport contributed the primary limitation to conA binding. Analyses indicate that this system is not limited by the accessibility of the binding sites, but by the inherent rate of adsorption of conA onto the glycopolymer.