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US 2001/0040130 A1Published application
Detection of pyrogen and other impurities in water
AssigneeCranfield University
InventorsWalter F. Lorch, David C. Cullen
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AssigneeCranfield University
InventorsWalter F. Lorch, David C. Cullen
Estimating the term…
High purity water, particularly that intended for the pharmaceutical or electronics industry, is analyzed for the presence of pyrogen or other impurities by causing the water to come into contact with a direct affinity sensor, which may be a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) device or other sensor relying on an evanescent wave phenomenon. A property of the surface—refractive index in the case of SPR—changes on the binding of impurity, thereby enabling impurity to be detected. The invention overcomes the cumbersome nature and batch-to-batch variability of the conventional in vivo tests as well as the in vitro Limulus Amoebocyte Lysate (LAL) assay and for the first time allows the continuous or real time monitoring of high purity water for pyrogen.
A method for analysing high purity water for the presence of impurity, the method comprising causing water under analysis to come into contact with a surface having an affinity for a potential impurity in the water, and wherein the surface has a property which changes on binding of the impurity to the surface, and monitoring the surface for a change in the property.
An apparatus for analysing high purity water for the presence of impurity, the apparatus comprising a surface which in use is in contact with the water, wherein the surface has an affinity for a potential impurity in the water and has a property which changes on binding of the impurity to the surface, and means for monitoring the surface for a change in the property.
An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 18 to 23, wherein the property which changes on binding of the impurity to the surface is an optical property.
A direct affinity sensor for pyrogen.
A surface plasmon resonance device comprising a surface capable of exhibiting surface plasmon resonance coated with an affinity coating for pyrogen.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.