Merck announces new, double filtration capacity,first-of-its Kind Filters

New, First-of-its Kind Filters by Merck Provide Twice the Filtration Capacity using Fully Synthetic Materials

 

• Millistak+® HC Pro eliminates risk of beta glucan interference

• Pre-use flushing requirements for acceptable Total Organic Carbon extractables reduced by 50 percent

 

Merck, a leading science and technology company, today announced Millistak+® HC Pro, the first portfolio of high- capacity, fully synthetic depth filters for non-treated Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) harvest clarification and downstream filtration applications. Millistak+® HC Pro filter media provides a cleaner and more consistent depth filtration process compared with traditional diatomaceous earth (DE) and cellulose-based filtration processes.

“Recent advancements in the productivity of upstream cell culture processes require higher filtration capacity than what can be offered by naturally derived filters currently available,” said Andrew Bulpin, Head of the Process Solutions business sector, Life Science, at Merck. “As the first fully synthetic depth filters, the Millistak+® HC Pro portfolio provides as much as twice the filtration capacity versus commercial DE-based benchmarks, and offers customers improved consistency that will help them design a more robust and controlled clarification process.”

Made with purely synthetic materials, Millistak+® HC Pro filters eliminate naturally derived components from the clarification process, offering increased productivity with lower flushing recommendations. As an added benefit, the synthetic media shows higher levels of host cell protein (HCP) clearance compared with traditional depth filters.

Millistak+® HC Pro filters reduce Total Organic Carbon (TOC) extractables and pre-use flush volume recommendations by 50 percent. The synthetic nature of the filter media eliminates beta glucans that interfere with limulus amoebocyte lysate testing for bacterial endotoxins.

 

Millistak+® HC Pro filters are available in the disposable pod format for ease of use, and exist in three media grades for primary and secondary clarification, as well as downstream filtration applications. The flexible, modular filters offer scalability from the bench to commercial manufacturing scale.