Membrane Chromatography

Abstract

It has been nearly 20 years since membrane chromatography was first introduced as a technology capable of purifying proteins. In that time, a large body of work has been generated which has described the fundamental transport mechanisms behind membrane adsorption, the advantages that membrane adsorbers possess as compared to column chromatography, the various membrane surface chemistries that can be created, and the application of membrane chromatography in the purification of a wide variety of proteins. In this review, the basic concept of membrane chromatography is explained, which includes a discussion of the factors that control membrane performance and how that performance can be optimized. The diverse ligand chemistries that have been used to create the three main families of membrane adsorbers that is affinity, hydrophobic interaction, and ion exchange, are described along with available membrane adsorber formats. Finally, applications of membrane adsorbers throughout a standard protein purification train, from the direct capture of proteins from unclarified feedstocks to the clearance of trace impurities in final polishing steps, will be demonstrated using small‐ and pilot‐scale examples.