Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference:	EP/C540026/1
Title:	From Sequences and Structures to Bioprocesses - Systematic AB Initio Prediction for Process Bioseparations
Principal Investigator:	Williams, Dr PM
Other Investigators:
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Department:	College of Engineering
Organisation:	Swansea University
Scheme:	Advanced Fellowship (Pre-FEC)
Starts:	01 October 2005	Ends:	30 September 2010	Value (£):	259,369
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:	Complex fluids & soft solids Design of Process systems Separation Processes
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:	Chemicals Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology
Related Grants:
Panel History:	Panel Date Panel Name Outcome 13 Apr 2005 Engineering Fellowships Interview Panel 2005 Deferred 08 Mar 2005 Engineering Fellowships Sift Panel 2005 Deferred
Summary on Grant Application Form
Development of efficient bioseparation methods is important for a broad range of business areas including pharmaceuticals, nutrition and health products, bio-based materials and crop protection chemicals. The separation of bioactive compounds from crude fermentation broths or plant extracts requires unit operations that are quite different from traditional chemical separation processes. Isolation and purification of biomolecules involves a sequence of a number of different separation technologies. Most if not all bioprocesses involve membrane processes and chromatographic purification's. To date these processes have typically been developed by empirical screening and testing because of the poorly understood nature of the mechanisms governing the separation processes involved. There is a great need to increase the efficiency of bioprocess development for a number of reasons:(a) The number of therapeutic species that are being considered for clinical studies is increasing.(b) The complexity of these molecules is increasing.(c) The number of processes that are emerging from early clinical trials that require to be scaled up is increasing.As sequence and structural information will always be available, it would be highly useful if such basic information could be used as a guide for process development. Quantitative use of this information would not only facilitate initial process development but could also simplify later development through better quality decisions being made initially. The overall aim of the work is to make use of sequence and structural data in the quantitative prediction of the performance of bioseparation processes. The development of efficient, economical and highly selective separation methods is essential for the successful commercialisation of bioprocesses. This proposal would help to solve some of the key problems associated with the design of bioseparation processes.In particular, membrane filtration has become firmly established as a primary technology in ensuring the purity, safety and efficacy of modern biopharmaceuticals. One of the major challenges facing biochemical engineers is to make full use of the available sequence and structural data in the prediction of membrane process performance. The proposed work will use such data to predict the surface properties of biomolecules. This will enable the prediction of the interactions between the biomolecules in solution, from which it is possible to predict the bulk solution properties. Knowing the solution properties will in turn enable the calculation of the membrane processing parameters. The planned work will extend the sophistication of the previous models developed by the applicant and test their generic applicability to prediction of biomolecule and biological nanoparticle properties controlling bioseparations and will explore the applicability of the calculated properties to other important separation processes. The work is expected to be relevant to all non-affinity separations.
Key Findings
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Organisation Website:	http://www.swan.ac.uk