Method for purifying viruses or virus-like particles using a crosslinked cellulose hydrate membrane

A method for purifying viruses or virus-like particles from a solution, comprising the following steps:

• a) providing a mixture M composed of a first solution and a second solution, the first solution containing the viruses or the virus-like particles to be purified and impurities, and the second solution containing a polyalkylene glycol having two or three carbon atoms in the repeating unit,
• b) loading a crosslinked cellulose hydrate membrane with the mixture M from step a), with the viruses or the virus-like particles attaching to the outer and inner membrane surfaces and being retained, and
• c) eluting the viruses or virus-like particles retained in the crosslinked cellulose hydrate membrane using a solution which contains no polyalkylene glycol having two or three carbon atoms in the repeating unit or which contains at least 50% less polyalkylene glycol having two or three carbon atoms in the repeating unit than the mixture M from step a), with the result that the viruses or the virus-like particles are obtained in purified form in the eluate.