Semipermeable membranes are used throughout the downstream purification of all biotherapeutics, e.g., monoclonal antibodies which have current sales in excess of $100 billion / year. This talk will provide a short overview of the key applications of membrane systems in bioprocessing with a specific focus on the use of membrane filtration for the removal of contaminating viruses. The ability of these membranes to provide highly selective separations is determined by their nanoscale pore structure – recent results from our laboratory using confocal microscopy and SEM provide new insights into the complex virus capture behavior of these porous membranes.
