Use of pre-packed columns in downstream chromatography has increased in response to the needs of multi-product facilities and initiatives focused on reducing change over time. In particular, adopters of pre-packed columns have realized the following benefits:
Replacing traditional self-packed glass or stainless steel columns, pre-packed columns are packed by experts in state of the art facilities and are delivered ready to use for GMP processing.
The ability of pre-packed column suppliers to focus their operations on column packing results in more consistently packed columns over time. This allows a bioprocessing facility to outsource column packing, a non-value added step for making therapeutic proteins, and no longer worry about column packing issues. This transfer of operational risk helps adopters of pre-packed columns to maintain leaner operations and focus on the most critical aspects of making and purifying therapeutic proteins.
As the industry evolves to incorporate continuous processing, pre-packed columns are a perfect fit for multi-column chromatography. Banks of multiple pre-packed columns can be delivered ready to run eliminating the need for multiple self-packed columns. In addition, the potential for pre-packed columns to be gamma sterilized provides a compelling value proposition for companies looking to implement multi-column chromatography.
While perfusion, or upstream continuous bioprocessing, has been in use since the 1980s, batch chromatography is still the dominant practice in downstream affinity capture. To integrate with upstream processes already in continuous mode and to take advantage of the benefits of continuous processing, many companies are starting to use multi-column chromatography systems.
In multi-column chromatography, a complex mixture is loaded into the system and goes through a series of washing, elution, regeneration, and equilibration steps. These procedures repeat in subsequent, parallel columns. The size of the continuous chromatography column is greatly reduced, but with the same or better capacity and volumetric productivity as a typical batch column.
Benefits of multi-column chromatography include:
Pre-packed chromatography columns
With thousands of columns shipped globally each year, OPUS® Pre-packed Chromatography Columns lead the way with unparalleled flexibility in media choice, application, and size. Since launching OPUS® Columns in 2012, Repligen is the recognized expert in packing lab-scale to manufacturing-scale columns today, and the innovation leader in downstream pre-packed column technology.
Scaling Up? No Problem with New 80cm Diameter Pre-packed OPUS® Columns
April 2018
Introducing OPUS® 45R and OPUS® 60R Pre-packed Columns: Ultimate flexibility from pre-packed to unpacked
December 2016
Production-scale Pre-packed Chromatography Columns for Use with 1000L and 2000L Bioreactors
April 2015
Introducing 60 cm ID Pre-packed Chromatography Columns
Design Features of Pre-packed Disposables, Development to Production Scale
Performing Production Scale Chromatographic Separations in Pre-packed Disposable Columns
Implementing Disposable Chromatography: Technology Fit in Downstream Purification
45 cm ID OPUS® Pre-packed Disposable Chromatography Columns
Advancements in Large-scale Pre-packed Chromatography Columns