Residence time distribution in continuous virus filtration

Abstract

Regulatory authorities recommend using residence time distribution (RTD) to address material traceability in continuous manufacturing. Continuous virus filtration is an essential but poorly understood step in biologics manufacturing in respect to fluid dynamics and scale-up. Here we describe a model that considers nonideal mixing and film resistance for RTD prediction in continuous virus filtration, and its experimental validation using the inert tracer NaNO3. The model was successfully calibrated through pulse injection experiments, yielding good agreement between model prediction and experiment ((Formula presented.) 0.90). The model enabled the prediction of RTD with variations—for example, in injection volumes, flow rates, tracer concentrations, and filter surface areas—and was validated using stepwise experiments and combined stepwise and pulse injection experiments. All validation experiments achieved (Formula presented.) 0.97. Notably, if the process includes a porous material—such as a porous chromatography material, ultrafilter, or virus filter—it must be considered whether the molecule size affects the RTD, as tracers with different sizes may penetrate the pore space differently. Calibration of the model with NaNO3 enabled extrapolation to RTD of recombinant antibodies, which will promote significant savings in antibody consumption. This RTD model is ready for further application in end-to-end integrated continuous downstream processes, such as addressing material traceability during continuous virus filtration processes.