Lyophilization systems and methods
AssigneeMassachusetts Institute of Technology
InventorsAlexander H. Slocum, Bernhardt Levy Trout
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Abstract
System and methods related to lyophilization of pharmaceutical products are disclosed. In some embodiments, vials of product are moved through a system using one or more movers which are electromagnetically levitated and moved through the system without making mechanical contact with each other or the system. Load lock chambers may allow a mover to enter from one process region's environment and then be brought to an environment condition of the next process region to allow materials to be passed through conditioning, nucleation, and/or vacuum drying regions prior to finally exit the system to an unloading zone. The movers may then be cleaned or reloaded with vials to begin the process again with a new load of vials.
Claims31
1-20. (canceled)
A method of lyophilizing a therapeutic composition, the method comprising:
- performing a vacuum drying operation on a therapeutic composition contained in one or more containers in a vacuum drying chamber by:
- sensing a condition of the therapeutic composition in at least one container of the one or more containers in the vacuum drying chamber;
- moving the one or more containers through the vacuum drying chamber;
- and
- independently controlling a temperature of the one or more containers and the therapeutic composition contained therein in separate portions of the vacuum drying chamber based at least in part on the sensed condition as the one or more containers move through the vacuum drying chamber.
A system for lyophilization of pharmaceutical products comprising:
- an inlet of the system configured to receive a mover configured to support one or more containers containing a therapeutic composition;
- an outlet of the system for outputting the mover from the system;
- one or more chambers disposed between the inlet and the outlet;
- wherein the one or more chambers comprises a vacuum drying chamber configured to perform a vacuum drying operation on the therapeutic composition;
- a plurality of sensors configured to sense a condition of the therapeutic composition in at least one container of the one or more containers on the mover while the mover is in the vacuum drying chamber;
- and
- a plurality of heaters, each heater of the plurality of heaters being independently controllable and directed at a separate portion of the vacuum drying chamber,
- wherein each heater of the plurality of heaters is configured to be controlled based at least partly on the sensed condition.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.