Membranes and associated methods for purification of antibodies

1. A device for separating one or more unwanted compounds from an antibody containing biological sample, said device comprising:

a porous support; and

a polymeric resin disposed within the pores of the porous support wherein the polymeric resin comprises structural units derived from:

a vinyl crosslinker; and

an aromatic monomer comprising a quaternary ammonium group and at least two ring structures.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the aromatic monomer having a structural unit derived from Formula I, Formula II, Formula III, or a combination thereof;

wherein R 1 and R 2 are independently a hydrogen, a C 1 -C 20 alkyl, a C 1 -C 20 substituted alkyl, an aryl, a substituted aryl, or a combination thereof, and m and n are independently integers between 1 and 5;

R 3 and R 4 are independently a hydrogen, a C 1 -C 20 alkyl, a C 1 -C 20 substituted alkyl, a benzyl or a combination thereof; and

wherein the polymeric resin is capable of selectively retaining one or more unwanted compounds present in the biological sample through a multi-modal interaction.

3. The device of claim 2 , wherein R 3 comprises structural units derived from Formula IV

wherein R 5 and R 6 are independently a hydrogen, a C 1 -C 20 alkyl, a C 1 -C 20 substituted alkyl, an aryl, a substituted aryl, or a combination thereof, and m and n are independently integers between 1 and 5.

4. The device of claim 2 , wherein the polymeric resin further comprises structural units derived from Formula V

wherein Z is NH or O;

R 7 is hydrogen or methyl, a C 1 -C 5 alkyl, a substituted alkyl, or a combination thereof; and

n is an integer between 1 and 5.

5. The device of claim 2 , wherein the vinyl crosslinker comprises N′,N″-methylenebisacrylamide.

6. The device of claim 2 , wherein the multi-modal interaction comprises at least two of hydrogen bonding, ionic, electrostatic, hydrophobic, Van der Waals, or dipole-dipole interactions.

7. The device of claim 2 , wherein the porous support is selected from polysulfones, polyethersulfones, expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (e-PTFE), polyvinylidenefluoride (PVDF), polyphenyleneoxides, polycarbonates, polyesters, cellulose, or cellulose derivatives.

8. The device of claim 2 , wherein the porous support has a pore size diameter ranging from about 0.1 microns to about 10 microns.

9. The device of claim 2 , wherein the porous support has a pore size diameter ranging from about 2 microns to about 5 microns.

10. The device of claim 2 , wherein the porous support is a membrane, a web, a filter, a fiber, or a mesh.

11. The device of claim 2 , wherein the unwanted compounds comprise aggregated proteins or peptides, misfolded proteins or peptides, host cell proteins, nucleic acids, endotoxins, or a combination thereof.

12. The device of claim 11 , wherein the aggregated proteins comprise aggregated antibodies.

13. The device of claim 2 , further comprising a viral clearance membrane capable of removing virus and positioned upstream or downstream of the porous support.

14. The device of claim 13 , wherein the viral clearance membrane is positioned downstream of the porous support and wherein the device is capable of improving the capacity of the viral clearance membrane by at least 10 L/m 2 as compared to an equivalent free standing viral clearance membrane.

15. The device of claim 14 , wherein the polymeric resin further comprises structural units derived from Formula V

wherein Z is NH or O;

R 7 is hydrogen or methyl, a C 1 -C 5 alkyl, a substituted alkyl, or a combination thereof; and

n is an integer between 1 and 5.

16. The device of claim 2 , wherein the device is in the form of a chromatographic chamber, tubular column, cartridge, syringe filter, manifold, multi-well plate, monoliths, filters, membranes, capillaries, microfluidic chips, a pleated cartridge or capsule, a cassette, a spiral filter, or a hollow fiber.

17. The device of claim 16 wherein the device is capable of being sterilized.