Abstract: An antibody-resin coupling apparatus quickly and efficiently activates resin beads and couples them to antibodies, while preventing breakdown and crosslinking of the beads, thereby improving downstream column purification processes, extending the usable life of the resin beads, and increasing molecule capture efficiency of the resultant resin-antibody complexes, to allow improved isolation and purification of factor VIII molecules or other drug compounds.

Abstract: This invention relates methods for conditioning affinity chromatography resins to decrease leaching of the ligand during purification. The methods involve incubating the resin in a buffered solution of a hydroxyalkylamine compound (e.g., ethanolamine) prior to use of the resin for an affinity purification. The treatment removes unstably bound ligand from the resin.

Abstract: An apparatus for the in vitro culture of animal cells to recover secreted proteins of interest therefrom, affording the capability of being readily and predictably scaled up or down to desired protein production rates, comprised of a housed arrangement of culture subunits containing a packed bed of carrier particles, each subunit being fed in parallel from a common culture medium source, and the spent culture fluid from each subunit being directed to a common spent fluid conduit within the housed arrangement. Scale-up or scale-down is effected by addition or subtraction of culture subunits and/or by increase or decrease in carrier particle volume within a subunit while maintaining substantially constant packed bed height.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for in vitro culture of cells in culture medium to produce a viable cell mass of cell number greater than the initial cell number, wherein a cell mass of particular cell number is cultured in a first oxygen-permeable culture sub-compartment to an increased cell number, and then aseptically transferred directly from the first sub-compartment to a next serial culture sub-compartment providing additional medium and/or culture space for further growth and reproduction to produce a viable cell mass of still higher cell number. Continued transfers are made, if necessary, to successive serial culture sub-compartment until a viable cell mass of desired cell number is attained, particularly one useful for seeding of a production-scale culture system.

Abstract: An oxygenator, particularly for proving oxygen and/or carbon dioxide or other gases to culture medium used in the in vitro culture of animal cells, comprised of a collection of elongate gas-permeable, liquid-impermeable tubes through which oxygen-containing gas flows and permeates through the tube walls to provide bubble- and foam-free oxygen gas to medium in contact with or in proximity to the tubes, the individual tubes having an outside diameter of less than about 1 mm and a wall thickness of from about 0.1 mm to about 0.25 mm, the tube collection preferably be radially spread apart at at least one point along its length.