Evaluation of biocompatible aqueous two-phase systems with the double interface for the recovery of biomolecules

Toward microfluidic continuous-flow and intelligent downstream processing of biopharmaceuticals

Biopharmaceuticals have emerged as powerful therapeutic agents, revolutionizing the treatment landscape for various diseases, including cancer, infectious diseases, autoimmune and genetic disorders. These biotherapeutics pave the way for precision medicine with their unique and targeted capabilities. The production of high-quality biologics entails intricate manufacturing processes, including cell culture, fermentation, purification, and formulation, necessitating specialized facilities and expertise. These complex processes are subject to rigorous regulatory oversight to evaluate the safety, efficacy, and quality of biotherapeutics prior to clinical approval. Consequently, these drugs undergo extensive purification unit operations to achieve high purity by effectively removing impurities and contaminants. The field of personalized precision medicine necessitates the development of novel and highly efficient technologies. Microfluidic technology addresses unmet needs by enabling precise and compact separation, allowing rapid, integrated and continuous purification modules. Moreover, the integration of intelligent biomanufacturing systems with miniaturized devices presents an opportunity to significantly enhance the robustness of complex downstream processing of biopharmaceuticals, with the benefits of automation and advanced control. This allows seamless data exchange, real-time monitoring, and synchronization of purification steps, leading to improved process efficiency, data management, and decision-making. Integrating autonomous systems into biopharmaceutical purification ensures adherence to regulatory standards, such as good manufacturing practice (GMP), positioning the industry to effectively address emerging market demands for personalized precision nano-medicines. This perspective review will emphasize on the significance, challenges, and prospects associated with the adoption of continuous, integrated, and intelligent methodologies in small-scale downstream processing for various types of biologics. By utilizing microfluidic technology and intelligent systems, purification processes can be enhanced for increased efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and regulatory compliance, shaping the future of biopharmaceutical production and enabling the development of personalized and targeted therapies.

Trends and challenges in microfluidic methods for protein manipulation-A review

Proteins are important molecules involved in an immensely large number of biological processes. Being capable of manipulating proteins is critical for developing reliable and affordable techniques to analyze and/or detect them. Such techniques would enable the production of therapeutic agents for the treatment of diseases or other biotechnological applications (e.g., bioreactors or biocatalysis). Microfluidic technology represents a potential solution to protein manipulation challenges because of the diverse phenomena that can be exploited to achieve micro- and nanoparticle manipulation. In this review, we discuss recent contributions made in the field of protein manipulation in microfluidic systems using different physicochemical principles and techniques, some of which are miniaturized versions of already established macro-scale techniques.

Optimization of Y and T-shaped microchannels for liquid-liquid extraction

Solvent extraction on a micro-scale has received much attention due to its advantages in recent years. The purpose of this research is to compare the inlet geometry of T and Y-shaped microchannels. In this research, solvent extraction of Crystal Violet (CV) was investigated using Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid (D2EHPA) extractor and hexane solvent in Y and T-shaped microchannels with lengths of 4, 6, and 8 cm. The effect of parameters such as inlet geometry, length of microchannels (4-8 cm), dye solution pH (3-11), flow rate (1-1.5 mL/h) and the concentration of CV (25-75 ppm) was investigated. The Results showed that under the same conditions, Y-shaped microchannel performance is better than T-shaped microchannel. pH of dye solution phase, flow rate, inlet CV concentration, and microchannel length were obtained as optimal conditions for extraction, 10.9, 1.1 mL/h, 46.4 ppm, and 7.6 cm, respectively, and the amount of extraction, in this case, was % 97/96 was obtained.

Synthesis and characterization of cost-effective and high-efficiency biochar for the adsorption of Pb2+ from wastewater

This study aimed to investigate the adsorption mechanism of Pb2+ in wastewater using activated carbon derived from inexpensive materials, specifically avocado, bitter orange, and walnut leaves, through a single-step chemical activation process. The activated carbon was prepared using sulfuric acid as an activator, with a particle size of 1 mm. The pyrolysis reactor (slow-pyrolysis) operated at 600 °C for 90 min with a nitrogen flow rate of 5 L/min. Batch experiments were conducted under various conditions to determine the optimal dosage (1.5 g/L), equilibrium contact time (180 min), and pH (6.5). The study focused on employing cost-effective and highly efficient adsorbents, namely biochar produced from tree leaves, for the adsorption process. The results indicated that the pseudo-second-order kinetic model accurately described the adsorption process, while the Freundlich isotherm model best fit the experimental data. These findings suggest that tree leaves can serve as cost-effective and efficient adsorbents for a wide range of applications. Furthermore, multiple adsorption factors were evaluated in batch mode, including contact duration, pH, adsorbent dosage, concentration of the Pb2+ solution, and temperature. The maximum adsorption capacities for the activated carbon derived from avocado, bitter orange, and walnut leaves were found to be 60.46, 59.42, and 58.48 mg/g, respectively. Thus, this study highlights the effectiveness and economic feasibility of using pyrolysis-derived activated carbon from low-cost materials for the removal of Pb2+ from wastewater.

Hexafluoroisopropanol-based deep eutectic solvents for high-performance DNA extraction†

In this study, hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP)-based deep eutectic solvents (DESs) were developed and used for DNA extraction from human whole blood samples for the first time. HFIP-based DESs were prepared using HFIP and choline chloride (ChCl)/tetrabutylammonium chloride/cetyltrimethylammonium bromide as the hydrogen bond donor and acceptor, respectively. The two-phase system formation was promoted with different inorganic salts as the phase-forming component. According to the strong phase separation capability and high DNA extraction efficiency, DESs consisting of HFIP/ChCl-(NH₄)₂SO₄, HFIP/ChCl-Na₂SO₄ and HFIP/ChCl-MgSO₄ were then selected for application in DNA extraction. The factors that could have impacted the DNA extraction process, including molar ratio of DES, DES addition, salt species and addition, and sample pH, were systematically investigated via single-factor experimental analysis. Furthermore, we selectively examined bovine serum albumin and RNA to assess the specificity of the HFIP-based DESs for DNA extraction. Conclusively, 93.9%, 96.7% and 99.8% DNA could be extracted using the HFIP/ChCl-(NH₄)₂SO₄, HFIP/ChCl-Na₂SO₄, and HFIP/ChCl-MgSO₄ systems, respectively. Moreover, the developed systems were successfully used to extract DNA from human whole blood with satisfactory results. The DNA secondary structure was stable after DES extraction with the electrostatic interaction between DES and DNA as the main force driving DNA adsorption by DES.

In a novel approach, hexafluoroisopropanol-based deep eutectic solvents were synthesized and utilized as an efficient alternative for extracting DNA from human whole blood.