Scalable biotechnology for high performance bioseparation processes

Bioseparation is a critical step in biopharmaceutical manufacturing. It employs polymeric adsorbents decorated with affinity ligands to increase the selective capture of target biological products. The EU-funded PURE project aims to develop precisely functionalised adsorbents. The project has brought together an interdisciplinary team of leading scientists from academia and industry with expertise in biology, chemistry, computational modelling, materials science, bioprocess engineering and applied social sciences.

Biopharmaceutical drugs save lives and drastically improve well-being. The number of new bio-drugs approved or in pipeline is rising but only 1/4 of patients have access to them. Bioseparation is a critical step in biopharmaceuticals manufacture. Bioseparation processes have low productivity, and are responsible for the environmental footprint and high cost of manufacturing. They use polymeric adsorbents decorated with affinity ligands that increase the selective capture of the required bio-drug. Only a radical change in purification technologies can reduce the environmental footprint of biopharma industry, and increase productivity, making biopharmaceuticals quickly accessible to all.

PURE envisions the pioneering of precisely patterned purification nanofibers. Scientific and engineering principles are combined to produce the adsorbents of the future, putting Europe in the forefront of sustainable and patient-oriented biopharma. PURE brings together leading scientists and a SME as a highly interdisciplinary team with expertise in biology, chemistry, computational modelling, materials science, bioprocess engineering and applied social sciences.

The new scientific knowledge and technological paradigm established in PURE have a wide window of opportunities. PURE revolutionizes the way advanced functional materials are thought today, and enables a new future.

This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 899732

For more information, go to PURE website.