Perfusion filtration systems
Provided herein are tubular membrane filter elements, tangential flow filtration systems comprising such filter elements and methods of using such filter elements and filtration systems.
1. A method of filtering a cell culture media comprising passing a cell culture media comprising mammalian cells and a virus through a plurality of tubular porous membranes of a filter elements enclosed within a casing,
wherein each tubular porous membrane filter element comprises a plurality of sintered tubular ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) porous membranes, wherein at least 95% of the pores in each of the plurality of tubular porous membranes are between 5 μm and −15 μm in size and wherein the internal diameter of each of the plurality of tubular porous membranes is between about 1 mm to about 10 mm,
wherein the mammalian cells are retained within the tubular porous membranes and a permeate comprising the virus flows through the pores of the tubular porous membranes into the casing.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least 99% of the pores in each of the plurality of tubular porous membranes are between 5 μm and 15 μm in size.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least 95% of the pores in each of the plurality of tubular porous membranes are between of 7 μm and 12 μm in size.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the internal diameter of each of the plurality of tubular porous membranes is between about 1 mm and about 5 mm.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the virus is a lentivirus, an adeno-associated virus (AAV), and/or an influenza virus.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the casing has an internal diameter of about 1 to about 30 cm.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of tubular porous membranes comprises at least 9 tubular porous membranes.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method is a tangential flow filtration perfusion method or an alternating tangential flow perfusion method.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the virus is a lentivirus.