Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
6.1
3.3
Journals
Membranes
Special Issues
Membranes for Bioprocessing
share announcement

Membranes for Bioprocessing

A special issue of Membranes (ISSN 2077-0375). This special issue belongs to the section "Membrane Processing and Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2021) | Viewed by 7364

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Carla Portugal

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Associated Laboratory for Green Chemistry—Clean Technologies and Processes (LAQV), REQUIMTE, Chemistry Department, FCT-Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
Interests: monitoring and control of protein–membrane interactions; design of functional membranes and porous structures (monoliths, aerogels and cryogels); bioseparation; membranes for regenerative medicine (tissue engineering); membrane processes for protein crystallization; membrane-based (bio)sensors; enzymatic membrane processes (biocatalysis)
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Since the very beginning, the development of membrane technologies has been intricately linked to the progress of bioengineering and bioprocessing. From the first hemodialysis systems developed in the first half of the 20th century to the most recent advances in biotechnology, membranes and bioprocesses have been evolving together in a symbiotic relationship, where the development of membrane technologies is fueled by the need to address the most challenging aspects of bioprocessing, such as biofouling and selectivity, simultaneously boosting further advances in bioprocessing. This Special Issue on “Membranes for Bioprocessing” of the Journal of Membranes aims to provide the readers with a clear perspective of the different roles of membranes in bioprocessing considering their different areas of application. In this regard, authors are invited to contribute with their most recent results on membranes for bioprocessing covering fundamental or application aspects related to membrane development, membrane structural and mass transport characterization, membrane process configuration, implementation and performance, computational modeling studies, and process monitoring and control.

Topics include but are not limited to bioseparations (membrane filtration and affinity-based separations), membrane chromatography, membrane-assisted crystallization of biomolecules, (bio)artificial organs, tissue engineering and wound dressing, drug release systems, biosensors, membrane emulsification, membrane bioreactors, and enzymatic membrane processes.

Dr. Carla Portugal
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Membranes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Functional membranes and membrane functionalization
  • Porous structure and porosity
  • Biomolecule–membrane interactions
  • Biofouling
  • Mass transport
  • Membrane selectivity
  • Membrane permeability
  • Solute affinity
  • Solute recovery and purification
  • Process monitoring and control

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

18 pages, 4619 KiB  
Article
Protein Crystallization in a Microfluidic Contactor with Nafion®117 Membranes
by M. Polino, H. S. Rho, M. P. Pina, R. Mallada, A. L. Carvalho, M. J. Romão, Isabel Coelhoso, J. G. E. Gardeniers, J. G. Crespo and Carla A. M. Portugal
Membranes 2021, 11(8), 549; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes11080549 - 21 Jul 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3371
Abstract
Protein crystallization still remains mostly an empirical science, as the production of crystals with the required quality for X-ray analysis is dependent on the intensive screening of the best protein crystallization and crystal’s derivatization conditions. Herein, this demanding step was addressed by the [...] Read more.
Protein crystallization still remains mostly an empirical science, as the production of crystals with the required quality for X-ray analysis is dependent on the intensive screening of the best protein crystallization and crystal’s derivatization conditions. Herein, this demanding step was addressed by the development of a high-throughput and low-budget microfluidic platform consisting of an ion exchange membrane (117 Nafion® membrane) sandwiched between a channel layer (stripping phase compartment) and a wells layer (feed phase compartment) forming 75 independent micro-contactors. This microfluidic device allows for a simultaneous and independent screening of multiple protein crystallization and crystal derivatization conditions, using Hen Egg White Lysozyme (HEWL) as the model protein and Hg2+ as the derivatizing agent. This microdevice offers well-regulated crystallization and subsequent crystal derivatization processes based on the controlled transport of water and ions provided by the 117 Nafion® membrane. Diffusion coefficients of water and the derivatizing agent (Hg2+) were evaluated, showing the positive influence of the protein drop volume on the number of crystals and crystal size. This microfluidic system allowed for crystals with good structural stability and high X-ray diffraction quality and, thus, it is regarded as an efficient tool that may contribute to the enhancement of the proteins’ crystals structural resolution. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membranes for Bioprocessing)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 2932 KiB  
Article
Iminodiacetic Acid (IDA) Cation-Exchange Nonwoven Membranes for Efficient Capture of Antibodies and Antibody Fragments
by Jinxin Fan, Cristiana Boi, Solomon Mengistu Lemma, Joseph Lavoie and Ruben G. Carbonell
Membranes 2021, 11(7), 530; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes11070530 - 14 Jul 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3278
Abstract
There is strong need to reduce the manufacturing costs and increase the downstream purification efficiency of high-value therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). This paper explores the performance of a weak cation-exchange membrane based on the coupling of IDA to poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) nonwoven fabrics. [...] Read more.
There is strong need to reduce the manufacturing costs and increase the downstream purification efficiency of high-value therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). This paper explores the performance of a weak cation-exchange membrane based on the coupling of IDA to poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) nonwoven fabrics. Uniform and conformal layers of poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (GMA) were first grafted to the surface of the nonwovens. Then IDA was coupled to the polyGMA layers under optimized conditions, resulting in membranes with very high permeability and binding capacity. This resulted in IgG dynamic binding capacities at very short residence times (0.1–2.0 min) that are much higher than those achieved by the best cation-exchange resins. Similar results were obtained in the purification of a single-chain (scFv) antibody fragment. As is customary with membrane systems, the dynamic binding capacities did not change significantly over a wide range of residence times. Finally, the excellent separation efficiency and potential reusability of the membrane were confirmed by five consecutive cycles of mAb capture from its cell culture harvest. The present work provides significant evidence that this weak cation-exchange nonwoven fabric platform might be a suitable alternative to packed resin chromatography for low-cost, higher productivity manufacturing of therapeutic mAbs and antibody fragments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membranes for Bioprocessing)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-2
Back to TopTop