Membrane technology for bioseparation has evolved rapidly over the last few years. The development of new polymeric materials and highly asymmetric membranes are two of the major reasons for this evolution. Despite these advances, however, the use of membrane-based processes for bioseparations is still limited by both membrane fouling and gel formation due to protein adsorption. These problems severely limit the efficiency of membrane filtration processes for concentrating products, and virtually disallow the use of membranes for more sophisticated separations such as size selective fraction and biospecific sorption. Recent reports on the investigation of formulating conductive membranes for the preparation of an electric potential barrier to control permeation of the charged species have broadened potential separation processes. In this program, Advanced Surface Technology (AST) will describe innovative new technological approaches for enhancing the purification of biological materials. The applicants will compare the operating characteristics of conductive, electrically charged membranes against standard, non-conductive membranes to determine changes in apparent pore size, retention characteristics and throughput rates. Additional studies of the effects of conductive membrane separation on monoclonal antibodies as well as cell viability for both mammalian and non-mammalian cells, will be initiated.
