The important steps in the preparation (production) of large biomolecules, e.g. pDNA in biological processes, are isolation and purification. A large number of different approaches (purification methods) based on ion-exchange chromatography are used in pharmaceutical, medical and biotechnology industries. The characteristics of chromatographic supports, such as dynamic binding capacity, have been greatly improved by the development of new materials and various types of functionalization.
The efficiency of CIM® (convective interaction media) epoxy methacrylate monoliths for plasmid DNA isolation was increased by grafting polyGMA chains onto the surface. Grafting was optimized using CIM® methacrylate monoliths with channel diameters of 2 and 6 μm. The polymerization of glycidyl methacrylate was carried out with atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). The polymerization process was optimized to obtain a uniform grafted layer along the entire length of the monolith (in the direction of the liquid flow). The effects of reagent composition, process, and reaction time on the polymer chain growth were observed using infrared spectroscopy (IR). The growth rate of the polymer chains was affected by the amount of monomer, catalyst and reducing agent in the reaction mixture. To determine the chromatographic and hydrodinamic properties of the grafted monoliths, tertiary amine groups (R—NH+(CH2CH3)) were introduced into the polymer chains as anion exchange groups. The binding capacity of pDNA for 0,2 mL CIMmicTM grafted monoliths was approximately 5-times, whereas for BSA approximately 4-times higher.
The effect of the graft layer on fluid flow was determined by permeability, showing that grafted monoliths with larger channel diameters did not impede the flow. The permeability of grafted monoliths was measured by pressure drop. In addition to increasing the capacity of the diethylamine monolith for plasmid DNA, the goal was to increase the efficiency of elution from the chromatography column. With the appropriate chain length and density an optimal ratio between the capacity and elution efficiency was achieved.
In the last part of the research, a larger monolithic column with optimized grafting conditions was prepared. Chromatographic measurements showed an approximately 6-times increase in pDNA capacity and less capacity scattering than CIMmicTM disks.
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