Monolithic cryopolymers with embedded nanoparticles. II. Capillary liquid chromatography of proteins using charged embedded nanoparticles

Downstream Processing Technologies/Capturing and Final Purification : Opportunities for Innovation, Change, and Improvement. A Review of Downstream Processing Developments in Protein Purification

Increased pressure on upstream processes to maximize productivity has been crowned with great success, although at the cost of shifting the bottleneck to purification. As drivers were economical, focus is on now on debottlenecking downstream processes as the main drivers of high manufacturing cost. Devising a holistically efficient and economical process remains a key challenge. Traditional and emerging protein purification strategies with particular emphasis on methodologies implemented for the production of recombinant proteins of biopharmaceutical importance are reviewed. The breadth of innovation is addressed, as well as the challenges the industry faces today, with an eye to remaining impartial, fair, and balanced. In addition, the scope encompasses both chromatographic and non-chromatographic separations directed at the purification of proteins, with a strong emphasis on antibodies. Complete solutions such as integrated USP/DSP strategies (i.e., continuous processing) are discussed as well as gains in data quantity and quality arising from automation and high-throughput screening (HTS). Best practices and advantages through design of experiments (DOE) to access a complex design space such as multi-modal chromatography are reviewed with an outlook on potential future trends. A discussion of single-use technology, its impact and opportunities for further growth, and the exciting developments in modeling and simulation of DSP rounds out the overview. Lastly, emerging trends such as 3D printing and nanotechnology are covered. Graphical Abstract Workflow of high-throughput screening, design of experiments, and high-throughput analytics to understand design space and design space boundaries quickly. (Reproduced with permission from Gregory Barker, Process Development, Bristol-Myers Squibb).

Review: Synthetic scaffolds to control the biochemical, mechanical, and geometrical environment of stem cell-derived brain organoids

Stem cell-derived brain organoids provide a powerful platform for systematic studies of tissue functional architecture and the development of personalized therapies. Here, we review key advances at the interface of soft matter and stem cell biology on synthetic alternatives to extracellular matrices. We emphasize recent biomaterial-based strategies that have been proven advantageous towards optimizing organoid growth and controlling the geometrical, biomechanical, and biochemical properties of the organoid's three-dimensional environment. We highlight systems that have the potential to increase the translational value of region-specific brain organoid models suitable for different types of manipulations and high-throughput applications.

Monolith columns for liquid chromatographic separations of intact proteins: A review of recent advances and applications

In this article we survey 256 references (with an emphasis on the papers published in the past decade) on monolithic columns for intact protein separation. Protein enrichment and purification are included in the broadly defined separation. After a brief introduction, we describe the types of monolithic columns and modes of chromatographic separations employed for protein separations. While the majority of the work is still in the research and development phase, papers have been published toward utilizing monolithic columns for practical applications. We survey these papers as well in this review. Characteristics of selected methods along with their pros and cons will also be discussed.

Organic polymer-based monolithic stationary phases with incorporated nanostructured materials for HPLC and CEC

This review article is concerned with the recent advances made in the field of organic polymer-based monoliths with incorporated nanostructured materials (NSMs) for use in liquid chromatography and capillary electrochromatography. It covers the pertinent literature published over the last 7-8 years with a total of 56 references. The present article has two distinct parts: one major part encompassing "traditional" organic polymer-based monoliths modified with NSMs and a minor part on cryogels modified with NSMs.

Advances in organic polymer-based monolithic column technology for high-resolution liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry profiling of antibodies, intact proteins, oligonucleotides, and peptides

This review focuses on the preparation of organic polymer-based monolithic stationary phases and their application in the separation of biomolecules, including antibodies, intact proteins and protein isoforms, oligonucleotides, and protein digests. Column and material properties, and the optimization of the macropore structure towards kinetic performance are also discussed. State-of-the-art liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry biomolecule separations are reviewed and practical aspects such as ion-pairing agent selection and carryover are presented. Finally, advances in comprehensive two-dimensional LC separations using monolithic columns, in particular ion-exchange×reversed-phase and reversed-phase×reversed-phase LC separations conducted at high and low pH, are shown.

Polystyrene-co-Divinylbenzene PolyHIPE Monoliths in 1.0 mm Column Formats for Liquid Chromatography

The reversed phase liquid chromatographic (RP-HPLC) separation of small molecules using a polystyrene-co-divinylbenzene (PS-co-DVB) polyHIPE stationary phases housed within 1.0 mm i.d. silcosteel columns is presented within this study. A 90% PS-co-DVB polyHIPE was covalently attached to the walls of the column housing by prior wall modification with 3-(trimethoxysilyl) propyl methacrylate and could withstand operating backpressures in excess of 200 bar at a flow rate of 1.2 mL/min. Permeability studies revealed that the monolith swelled slightly in 100% acetonitrile relative to 100% water but could nevertheless be used to separate five alkylbenzenes using a flow rate of 40 µL/min (linear velocity: 0.57 mm/s). Remarkable column-to-column reproducibility is shown with retention factor variation between 2.6% and 6.1% for two separately prepared columns.

High-performance liquid chromatography separation of unsaturated organic compounds by a monolithic silica column embedded with silver nanoparticles

The optimization of a porous structure to ensure good separation performances is always a significant issue in high-performance liquid chromatography column design. Recently we reported the homogeneous embedment of Ag nanoparticles in periodic mesoporous silica monolith and the application of such Ag nanoparticles embedded silica monolith for the high-performance liquid chromatography separation of polyaromatic hydrocarbons. However, the separation performance remains to be improved and the retention mechanism as compared with the Ag ion high-performance liquid chromatography technique still needs to be clarified. In this research, Ag nanoparticles were introduced into a macro/mesoporous silica monolith with optimized pore parameters for high-performance liquid chromatography separations. Baseline separation of benzene, naphthalene, anthracene, and pyrene was achieved with the theoretical plate number for analyte naphthalene as 36,000 m(-1). Its separation function was further extended to cis/trans isomers of aromatic compounds where cis/trans stilbenes were chosen as a benchmark. Good separation of cis/trans-stilbene with separation factor as 7 and theoretical plate number as 76,000 m(-1) for cis-stilbene was obtained. The trans isomer, however, is retained more strongly, which contradicts the long- established retention rule of Ag ion chromatography. Such behavior of Ag nanoparticles embedded in a silica column can be attributed to the differences in the molecular geometric configuration of cis/trans stilbenes.

Highly ordered monolithic structures by directional freezing and UV-initiated cryopolymerisation. Evaluation as stationary phases in high performance liquid chromatography

Rigid aligned polymers were prepared by directional freezing and photo-initiated cryopolymerisation and tested as stationary phases in liquid chromatography.

Facile preparation of octadecyl monoliths with incorporated carbon nanotubes and neutral monoliths with coated carbon nanotubes stationary phases for HPLC of small and large molecules by hydrophobic and π-π interactions

Two approaches for incorporating carbon nanotubes into monolithic columns for HPLC are described in this report. They pertain to the investigation of carbon nanotubes either (i) as entities to modulate solute retention on monolithic columns bearing well defined retentive ligands or (ii) as entities that constitute the stationary phase responsible for solute retention and separation. Approach (i) involved the incorporation of carbon nanotubes into octadecyl monolithic columns while approach (ii) concerns the preparation and evaluation of an ideal monolithic support and coating it with carbon nanotubes to yield a real "carbon nanotube stationary phase" for the HPLC separation of a wide range of solutes. First, an octadecyl monolithic column based on the in situ polymerization of octadecyl acrylate and trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate was optimized for use in HPLC separations of small and large solutes (e.g., proteins). To further modulate the retention and separation of proteins, small amounts of carbon nanotubes were incorporated into the octadecyl monolith column. In approach (ii), an inert, relatively polar monolith based on the in situ polymerization of glyceryl monomethacrylate (GMM) and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EDMA) proved to be the most suitable support for the preparation of "carbon nanotube stationary phase". This carbon nanotube "coated" monolith proved useful in the HPLC separation of a wide range of small solutes including enantiomers. In approach (ii), a more homogeneous incorporation of carbon nanotubes into the diol monolithic columns (i.e., GMM/EDMA) was achieved when hydroxyl functionalized carbon nanotubes were incorporated into the GMM/EDMA monolithic support. In addition, high power sonication for a short time enhanced further the homogeneity of the monolith incorporated with nanotubes. In all cases, nonpolar and π interactions were responsible for solute retention on the monolith incorporated carbon nanotubes.