Automated pH and conductivity conditioning using feedback control to support a two-step continuous purification process

Abstract

As discovery research organizations push more molecules and new modalities through their company pipelines, there comes a need to widen purification development and production bandwidth by increasing automation and throughput. Continuous processing technologies have the unique property of reducing manufacturing floor space and reducing costs. We can speed development and production by implementing automation and continuous process technologies early in discovery research. Here we describe an automated continuous instrument made up of an ÄKTA™ pcc for initial capture by protein A, an ÄKTA pure 150 retrofitted to automatically condition protein A eluate, and a second ÄKTA pure 150 built for flow-through anion exchange chromatography. The continuous instrument we have designed and built recirculates protein A eluate from the ÄKTA pcc in a closed loop while signals from the pH and conductivity meters direct addition of titrant for accurate and precise adjustments to the pH and salt concentration. The instrument is run without user intervention and can be used continuously for production or for development as a tool for screening running conditions on the anion exchange step.

Keywords: Anion exchange; Continuous; Discovery; Protein A; ÄKTA pure 150; ÄKTA pcc.