US 12,410,390 B2
Factory-on-a-chip for production of biologically derived medicines/biopharmaceuticals/biologics/biotherapeutics
Govind Rao, Ellicott City, MD (US); Yordan Kostov, Columbia, MD (US); Abhay Andar, Gaithersburg, MD (US); Mustafa Al-Adhami, Silver Spring, MD (US); Sevda Deldari, Baltimore, MD (US); and Douglas D. Frey, Baltimore, MD (US)
Assigned to UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, BALTIMORE COUNTY, Baltimore, MD (US)
Filed by UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, BALTIMORE COUNTY, Baltimore, MD (US)
Filed on Sep. 11, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/329,643.
Application 18/329,643 is a division of application No. 16/618,473, granted, now 11,708,553, previously published as PCT/US2018/036375, filed on Jun. 7, 2018.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/516,161, filed on Jun. 7, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2023/0407221 A1, Dec. 21, 2023
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. B01L 3/00 (2006.01); A61K 38/00 (2006.01); C12M 1/00 (2006.01); C12M 1/02 (2006.01); C12M 1/26 (2006.01); C12M 1/34 (2006.01); C12M 3/00 (2006.01); C12M 3/06 (2006.01)
CPC C12M 23/16 (2013.01) [A61K 38/00 (2013.01); C12M 23/44 (2013.01); C12M 27/00 (2013.01); C12M 29/20 (2013.01); C12M 33/14 (2013.01); C12M 41/12 (2013.01); C12M 41/26 (2013.01); C12M 41/28 (2013.01); C12M 41/40 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A factory-on-a-chip microfluidic device comprising at least three separate units that can be stacked together to form a single unit, wherein the separate units comprise:
(i) a microfluidic bioreactor unit equipped with a continuous collection channel for synthesizing a crude protein in a reaction within the microfluidic bioreactor unit;
(ii) a microfluidic mixer/de-bubbler unit communicatively connected to the microfluidic bioreactor unit to dilute the crude protein and remove any air bubbles during mixing; and
(iii) a microfluidic purification unit, communicatively connected to the microfluidic mixer/de-bubbler unit, for capturing the crude protein and providing a purified protein, wherein the microfluidic purification unit comprises:
three polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) layers comprising (a) a top layer, (b) a middle layer comprising at least one microcolumn, wherein each microcolumn has an inlet end and an outlet end, and (c) a base plate, wherein each microcolumn comprises chromatography resin, wherein the chromatography resin is retained in the microcolumn by a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) frit positioned at the outlet end of the microcolumn, and
wherein all fluid channels of the device are microfluidic.