White Paper: Hollow Fiber Tangential Flow Filtration Can Help Make Microparticle Processing More Cost-Effective

As seen in The Pharmaceutical Solutions Update, 2008 Fall Edition

Microparticle-based diagnostic tests are used in many biomedical applications. Microparticles from 0.1 to 10 micrometers may be used suspended in fluids, used dry in test strips, or even dried and then resuspended. While "plain" microparticles may be used in some situations, more commonly, the particles are coated with materials for specific applications. Examples of coatings include proteins and dyes. Microparticles may be made of polystyrene latex or other polymers, magnetic materials, or even silica.

Coating of the microparticles is a vital step in manufacturing diagnostic tests. The particles must be cleaned, coated, and washed before further processing. Components can be expensive, and high yield is critical to a cost-effective process. Hollow fiber tangential filtration can make all of these steps easier and more cost-effective.

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