Methods and apparatuses for purification

A method for clarifying a cell lysate, comprising:

• (a) mixing a crude cell lysate with ion exchange resin;
• (b) applying the mixture to a column;
• and
• (c) passing the lysate through the column, thereby producing a clarified cell lysate.

A method for producing a clarified cell lysate, comprising:

• (a) adding detergent to a cell culture;
• (b) sonicating the cell culture to produce a crude cell lysate, wherein the density of the cell culture upon harvesting is not significantly increased by external manipulation prior to sonication;
• (c) mixing the crude cell lysate with ion exchange resin;
• (d) applying the mixture to a column;
• and
• (e) passing the lysate through the column, thereby producing a clarified cell lysate.

A method for purifying a polypeptide, comprising:

• (a) obtaining a crude cell lysate;
• (b) mixing the crude cell lysate with ion exchange resin;
• (c) applying the mixture to a column and passing the lysate through the column, thereby producing a clarified cell lysate;
• (d) applying the clarified cell lysate to an affinity column under conditions to promote binding of polypeptides to the column resin;
• (e) washing the affinity column to remove non-specifically bound polypeptides;
• and (f) eluting the bound polypeptides from the affinity resin, thereby producing a purified polypeptide.

A system for preparing protein samples, comprising:

• a filter for filtering a lysate;
• at least one purifier fluidly coupled to the filter for purifying a protein within the filtered lysate;
• and
• a concentrator fluidly coupled to the purifier for concentrating the purified protein, the concentrator using pressure to concentrate the purified protein.

A system for purifying cell components, comprising:

• a filter for filtering a lysate;
• at least one purifier fluidly coupled to the filter for purifying a cell component within the filtered lysate;
• and
• a concentrator fluidly coupled to the purifier for concentrating the purified cell component, the concentrator using pressure to concentrate the purified cell component.

A system for preparing protein samples, comprising:

• a means for filtering a lysate;
• a means for purifying a protein within the filtered lysate ;
• and
• a means for concentrating the purified protein using pressure.

A method of preparing protein samples, comprising:

• instructing a pump to transfer a filtered lysate to a protein purifier until a first sensor signal is received indicative of a level associated with the filtered lysate, the purifier purifying the filtered lysate into a protein solution;
• instructing the pump to transfer the protein solution to a concentrator;
• instructing a pressure valve to pressurize the concentrator until an amount of excess liquid is removed from the protein solution to form a concentrated solution;
• and
• instructing the pressure valve to depressurize the concentrator in response to a signal from a second sensor.

A method of purifying cell components, comprising:

• instructing a pump to transfer a filtered lysate to a purifier until a first sensor signal is received indicative of a level associated with the filtered lysate, the purifier purifying the filtered lysate into a cell component solution;
• instructing the pump to transfer the cell component solution to a concentrator;
• instructing a pressure valve to pressurize the concentrator until an amount of excess liquid is removed from the cell component solution to form a concentrated solution;
• and instructing the pressure valve to depressurize the concentrator in response to a signal from a second sensor.

A software application program for preparing protein samples, comprising:

• a control process
• instructing a pump to transfer a filtered lysate from a filter to a protein purifier until a first sensor signal is received indicative of a level associated with the filtered lysate, the purifier purifying the filtered lysate into a protein solution,
• instructing the pump to transfer the protein solution to a concentrator,
• instructing a pressure valve to pressurize the concentrator until an amount of excess liquid is removed from the protein solution to form a concentrated solution, and
• instructing the pressure valve to depressurize the concentrator in response to a signal from a second sensor;
• and
• a display process displaying indicia of the operation of at least one of the filter, purifier, and concentrator in a graphical user interface.

A system for preparing protein samples, comprising:

• an array of filter columns;
• an array of purifier columns in fluid communication with the array of filter columns;
• an array of concentrators in fluid communication with the array of purifier columns;
• and
• a plurality of channels for preparing a plurality of purified proteins in parallel, one or more channels including at least one of a filter column from the array of filter columns, at least one of a purifier column from the array of purifier columns, and at least one of a concentrator from the array of concentrators.