Cell disruption: how do you do yours?
There are many possible options for how to complete this key vaccine production step. But not all disruption methods are created equal, with each one creating varying properties in the end product.
Manufacturers aim to achieve efficient cell disruption and maximum protein release, while avoiding damage to cells through temperature or pressure-related denaturization.
Typical cell processing methods at the lab scale such as French Press, freeze-thawing, mortar and pestle, and ultrasonication do achieve some of these goals, but these methods have their own drawbacks.
While helpful for single or small-scale applications, they seldom check all the boxes needed for optimum cell disruption, with common issues being high energy consumption and low scalability.
Cell disruption using high pressure homogenizers
High Pressure Homogenizers (HPH) are a common alternative to freeze-thawing and detergents for cell disruption. Although useful in the lab, these complex devices are less efficient when processing large batches, with wastage of usable product in the final suspension due to an inconsistent pressure profile.
What’s more, with a raft of intricate technical components in the machine, they require specialist knowledge to clean and maintain them properly.
Microfluidizer® processors provide relief of these issues. As the gold standard in cell disruption they retain the benefits of a high pressure homogenizer while also providing a valuable increase in the proportion of usable particles recovered.
Using Microfluidizer® processors for cell disruption
User-friendly, easy to maintain, and swift at processing, Microfluidics equipment uses less energy than a traditional HPH.
The efficient cooling process also leads to less wastage and high protein recovery.
The crucial component in our superior machines is the fixed-geometry Interaction Chamber™. In these chambers, the material being processed is forced through microchannels (which are 75-100 microns in nominal dimension) at constant, high pressures, causing each cell to receive the same treatment when being lysed.
What’s more, the consistent, repeatable lysis is easily scaled from lab to production by simply increasing the number of microchannels on your processor.
Microfluidizer® technology can operate at a range of temperatures and pressures to lyse any kinds of cell, from softer mammalian cells to the toughest yeast cells.
Our expert technical team can help you match the required Microfluidizer® pressure to the cell type you wish to lyse. For further guidance on cell disruption please visit our resource page.
Download our Cell Disruption applications note today and discover:
- An overview of methods used for cell disruption
- Data from cell disruption studies using our processors
- Tips for optimizing your cell disruption process
Cell Disruption - Peer reviews - Learn more here
