Monoclonal antibody (MAb) expression systems typically use signal peptides to ensure secretion of antibodies into cell culture media. Although that reduces the complexity of purification and prevents the need for cell disruption, it does require using expensive and time-consuming techniques to separate cells from antibody-containing cell culture fluids. In this study, we describe our tests of the novel Sartoclear Dynamics Lab V system (Sartorius S Lab Instruments GmbH and Co. KG) for rapid clarification of cell culture media without requiring centrifugation or additional costly equipment. The filtration system was tested and compared with the method currently used to separate cells from antibody-containing cell culture fluids. That standard clarification method includes an initial centrifugation step followed by filtration of the cleared supernatant through a 0.45-μm filter on a vacuum-driven bottletop filter.

Further Reading
Kempken R, Preissmann A, Berthold W. Clarification of Animal Cell Cultures on a Large Scale By Continuous Centrifugation. J. Ind. Microbiol. 14(1) 1995: 52–57.

Liu HF, et al. Recovery and Purification Process Development for Monoclonal Antibody Production. MAbs 2(5) 2010: 480–499.

Riske F, et al. The Use of Chitosan As a Flocculant in Mammalian Cell Culture Dramatically Improves Clarification Throughput Without Adversely Impacting Monoclonal Antibody Recovery. J. Biotechnol. 128(4) 2007: 813–823.

James Stephenson is a senior scientist, Catherine Bladen is director of scientific operations, and corresponding author Ian Wilkinson is chief scientific officer at Absolute Antibody Ltd, Wilton Centre, Redcar, TS10 4RF, United Kingdom; wilkinson@absoluteantibody.com; +44-1865-920810.