Germany's Merck KGaA introduced a new process media for the capture of viruses, proteins, antibodies and DNA at last week's Biotechnica meeting in Hanover. The company noted that the Fractoprep media differs from other products because it can selectively absorb and desorb molecules.
The company describes Fractoprep as a 'tentacle' media. Long polymer chains - the tentacles - are bound to Fractoprep beads, and provide a greater binding area to allow the separation of desired bio-molecules from a complex mixture.
This means that Fractoprep media "are the solutions of choice for biochromatography processes at research institutes and biotech production sites," said Merck in a statement.
In contrast to other sorbents such as dextran, agarose or cellulose, Fractoprep is a stable, synthetic polymer. The advantage of this is that large quantities of biological materials such as blood serum or the supernatant from cell cultures can be chromatographed effectively and reliably at high flow rates and reduced throughput time, according to the company.
And the sorbent's long lifespan means that it can be used repeatedly, saving the user both time and money, it added. Importantly, Fractoprep media are extremely resistant to sodium hydroxide treatment, an important clean-in-place step in nearly every biological production process.
One concern may be that the trailing arms of the polymer tentacles may impede the free movement of proteins in a mixture. Merck says it has overcome this by designing the polymers with large-sized pores on the inside between the intertwined strands, which allow for the free diffusion of proteins.
For more information on the Fractoprep range, visit Merck's website or e-mail processing@merck.de.