Streamlining TFF with Sartorius’ Vivaflow® SU and a Watson-Marlow peristaltic pump

Vivaflow^® SU, a tangential flow filtration (TFF) cassette from life sciences company Sartorius, uses a Watson-Marlow 323 peristaltic pump to concentrate and rebuffer samples in research laboratories (Image credit: Sartorius)

Critical to the performance of Vivaflow® SU, a tangential flow filtration (TFF) cassette recently released by major life sciences group Sartorius, is a laboratory pump capable of delivering a consistent flow rate during ultrafiltration and diafiltration.

As Vivaflow^® SU is designed to ensure enhanced ease of use and flexibility, Sartorius needed a pump with similar qualities. Peristaltic pump technology has proven to be particularly suitable and removes the risk of sample contamination during the TFF process since only the tubing is in contact with the process fluid.

To ensure Vivaflow^® SU runs within an optimal feed flow rate range, the TFF cassette uses the precise flow control of a Watson-Marlow 323 peristaltic pump. This pump also creates a fluid path that is quick to set up and importantly eliminates the risk of carryover. Since Vivaflow^® SU is increasingly used to process shear-sensitive targets, such as lentiviral vectors (LV), the gentle pump action of the Watson-Marlow 323 is also vital.
 
Vivaflow^® SU utilises the Watson-Marlow 323 pump for ultrafiltration and diafiltration applications including cell culture and process fluid clarification, protein, nucleic acid and virus concentration, and nanoparticle separation and enrichment. In addition, the peristaltic pump is suitable for other separation processes, including ion exchange or affinity purification with Sartobind^® Lab chromatography units, and microfiltration with pressure filter holders, as well as general dispensing and filling applications.

A solution to avoid carryover

Dr. John Cashman, Product Manager for Lab Ultrafiltration at Sartorius, said: “Both Watson-Marlow peristaltic pumps and Vivaflow^® share the same principles in terms of their ease of use. Vivaflow^® is a plug-and-play cassette that offers an intuitive setup and rapid sample concentration and buffer exchange. Similarly, the Watson-Marlow pump is quick and easy to set up, with markings that guide the user to effortlessly define the tubing dimensions for reliable retention, and a user interface that simplifies control of the flow rate and direction.

“Carryover is a challenge in research labs – especially those that are handling a wide variety of sample types. However, increasingly stringent health and safety requirements and the additional time that is needed are making cleaning processes less favourable. Therefore, solutions like Vivaflow^® SU, run by a pump where the sample is confined to a single-use flow path, eliminate the risk of carryover while reducing effort and increasing laboratory safety. The pumps are also easy to keep clean, with a wipeable housing.”

Vivaflow^® SU simplifies TFF for research scientists who need a fast and reliable solution for concentrating and rebuffering large feed volumes in their macromolecule isolation workflows, while reducing contamination risk, and minimising waste. Efficient and standardised workflows help to ensure consistent results while allowing time and effort to be focused towards tackling the more complicated aspects of scientific research that are faced in the assays and analyses downstream of TFF. The tool-free pumphead mounting and intuitive tubing loading with the Watson-Marlow 323 contribute to improving efficiency in the TFF steps of these workflows.

Sartorius previously used analog pumps from a different pump company to operate the first generation of Vivaflow^® cassettes. By switching to digital drive, users now have a clear view of when the feed flow rate is within the recommended range, especially given that 1 rpm corresponds to 1 mL/min with most Vivaflow^® cassette configurations. Watson-Marlow 323 pumps have a membrane keypad that controls the pump, and a digital LCD to display speed.
 
John Cashman added: “As more labs need to concentrate and rebuffer larger feed volumes, they need a solution that can achieve these processes without expensive equipment, high running costs and complicated setup and process optimisation. Vivaflow^® uses standard Watson-Marlow pumps to make lab-scale TFF processes more cost-effective and as intuitive as possible for a truly effortless transition from spin filters to TFF. High performance for most samples can be achieved without the need for additional training or complicated process optimisation.

“As Sartorius continues to innovate in lab separation technologies, from basic filtration to membrane chromatography, new features we have gained with the Watson-Marlow 323, such as remote start/stop and instantly reversible flow direction, will support an increasing range of applications for this pump.”

Key capabilities of laboratory pump for Vivaflow^®

A Watson-Marlow 323 pump is used with Vivaflow^® SU TFF solution for these capabilities:

• Avoids contamination. Carryover, the contamination of a sample by the previous one, is a concern in laboratory research but Watson-Marlow pumps provide contamination-free pumping. The process fluid contacts only the bore of a tube, eliminating the risk of the pump contaminating the fluid, or the fluid contaminating the pump. 
• Versatile. Flexibility is important as different feed flow rates may be needed depending on the type and number of cassettes used. The availability of pumpheads that accept different tubing dimensions and the broad flow rate range that can be delivered by each of these ensures that Vivaflow^® can be configured for any lab-scale TFF application.
• Reliable performance. The Watson-Marlow 323 pump delivers precise and consistent flow rates, supporting optimal filtration process with Vivaflow®. The instantly reversible motor allows for quick changes to the flow direction if needed, while smooth roller surfaces minimise tubing wear.
• Gentle handling. LV isolation workflows tend to suffer from lower recoveries compared to other macromolecules like proteins but by reducing shear stresses with the gentle pumping action, yields can be maximised to ensure sufficient material is available for downstream assays and analyses.
• Ease-of-use and low maintenance. The tool-free pumphead mounting, intuitive and reliable tube retention adjustment, and easy loading contribute to the quick set-up of Vivaflow^® SU without the need for process optimisation. It takes less than five minutes to prepare the entire system for ultrafiltration and diafiltration of up to 1 L feed volumes. 

Sartorius also needed the pump to align with its branding and colours, which Watson-Marlow was able to provide.  Sartorius worked with Mario Zeizinger, Sales Engineer OEM - Life Sciences in Germany, on the integration of the 323 pump with Vivaflow^®.

Mario Zeizinger said: “We had a great collaboration with Dr John Cashman to assist Sartorius with Vivaflow^®. Initially WMFTS provided Sartorius with sample pumps to help Sartorius with its testing. Dependability, supply and flexibility of customising colours to align with Sartorius’ brand were all important, as was the avoidance of tube wearing and the risk of contamination wasting a sample. The compact size of the 323 is essential in laboratory environments which are often limited on space.”

Two pumpheads (313 and 314) are available with the pump to use with Vivaflow^® SU, accepting tubes with a wall thickness of either 1.6 mm or 2.4 mm and compatible with a wide range of internal diameters.

Sartorius is a leading international partner of life sciences research and biopharmaceutical manufacturing. With innovative laboratory instruments and consumables, the Group’s Lab Products & Services division focuses on laboratories performing research and quality control at pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies as well as academic research institutes.

More information: www.sartorius.com

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