Akta systems (Cytiva) enable the monitoring of chromatography purification processes. The two available scales allow for small-scale optimization. This initial step requires less material to be purified. Once the protocol is optimized, whether developed by us or by the partner, we can perform a scale-up to demonstrate the robustness of the process at a larger scale or to produce necessary technical batches, for example, for stability studies. This scale enables the validation of a protocol before its transition to GMP, which is the responsibility of the industrial partner at other service providers.
Specific Equipment
Akta Avant and Akta Pilot
High-pressure homogenizer
This device (Panda NS 1001 / Niro-Saovi) can be used as a cell disruptor or as a high-pressure homogenizer to create fine emulsions. The type of compression head must be adapted according to the intended use.
In cell disruption mode, it is possible to lyse yeast or bacterial suspensions to recover intracellular metabolites. The maximum pressure that can be applied is 1500 bar. Generally, a pressure between 1000 and 1300 bar allows for cell lysis. Multiple passes are possible. Initial suspensions are limited to viscosities of 20,000 cP and cannot contain particles larger than 5 mm. For cell suspensions, the dry matter content is limited to 10-15% w/w. The solution to be processed can be maintained at 4°C at the inlet to limit the heating of the solution during its passage through the compression unit and to limit the outlet temperature to 30°C.
Filtration Units
Our laboratory has various filtration units that enable ultrafiltration, diafiltration, or tangential microfiltration. The porosity of the filtration cassettes can be selected according to requirements (cut-off from 1 kD to 300 kD for tangential ultrafiltration or 0.1 µm for microfiltration), and various filter media can be used (polyethersulfone, cellulose, cellulose acetate, etc.). The different units can cover areas ranging from 0.1 to 7 m 2. The maximum feed pressure is 4 bar. This unit can process volumes from a few tens of liters up to 1 m3, depending on the porosity of the filtration membranes. The filtration membranes are regenerable and can be disinfected with caustic soda.