Emd Millipore Corporation

Millipore Corporation

General Electric Company

Louis L Bonhomme

Kurt E Greenizen

John Doyle

George Gagne

Sean Devin

Gerard Lombard

Vincent Smith

Phillip Clark

Christopher A Scott

Masaharu Mabuchi

Sara Gutierrez

Timothy K Nadler

David Briggs

Ralph T Scaduto

Joseph P Lane

Donald B Rising

Chris Scott

Richard Burnham

Stéphane Jean Marie Olivier

Kenneth G Desilets

Steven D Sheridan

Douglas A Boucher

Mark Kavonian

Matthew John Dunleavy

Luc Lirot

Gerald R Dornfeld

Donald A Nicklas

Sample preparation device that allows for a complete bind, wash, elute, buffer-exchange and concentration process to be carried out without sample transfer between multiple devices. The device includes a reservoir, a column for holding chromatography media, a holder region for holding a filtration device, and an outlet. The filtration device plugs into the holder region of the centrifugal device, and the assembly can be placed in an optional holder. The assembly, with or without the optional holder, can be placed in a conventional centrifuge tube for centrifugation. The entire bind, wash, elute, buffer exchange and concentration steps can be carried out with the apparatus without any pipette transfers (and the associated sample losses. The sample preparation device also can be used for binding and washing steps, in which case the filtration device is not needed, and for buffer exchange and concentration steps, in which case the media is not needed.

All-in-one sample preparation device and method

Filtration device suited for concentration of liquid samples, particularly biomolecules, and a method of concentrating, desalting, purifying and/or fractionating liquid samples. In certain embodiments the device includes a housing having a sample reservoir, and two substantially vertically oriented and spaced apart membranes disposed in the housing. An underdrain is associated with each membrane such that fluid passing through each membrane flows through a respective underdrain into a filtrate collection chamber. The fluid that does not pass through the membrane is collected in the retentate collection chamber, and can be recovered such as by a reverse spinning step, achieving recoveries greater than about 90%. The substantially vertical orientation of the membranes increases the available membrane area by at least 2.7 times the area available in a conventional filter device. The two-panel configuration also maintains more available membrane area in use during the last stages of filtration than a one-panel configuration.

Centrifugal filter

The present invention is a filter assembly for vacuum filtration formed of a housing having an upper portion and lower portion, a filter separating the upper from the lower portion of the housing, an inlet formed in the upper housing, an outlet and a vacuum port formed in the lower portion, a gasket arranged at a lowermost surface of the lower portion and the upper portion is having a height sufficient to trap any air that might enter and keep it away from the membrane surface. Preferably, it is of a curved shape, preferably in the form of a dome. Optionally, the upper portion of the housing may also contain a vent, particularly a vent controlled by a valve, for the removal of air periodically from the upper portion, especially when a large incursion of air has occurred.

Vacuum filtration device

The present invention provides an underdrain having an improved spout. The underdrain has particular utility in the construction of both single-well and microarray filtration devices. In a principal embodiment, the underdrain is characterized by its incorporation of a straight-walled, roughly-textured spout, the spout being provided with microhole(s) at a terminal end thereof for the discharge of fluid conducted through the underdrain. An array comprising several of such underdrains can be mated with a corresponding array of wells, with separation material (e.g., membrane material) provided therebetween. The resultant microarray filtration device can be used for conducting several fluid assays contemporaneously with, for example, good 'pendant drop' control and low 'cross-talk'.

Underdrain useful in the construction of a filtration device

Disclosed is a vacuum filtration device including; (a)filter body including a filter membrane; (b) a passageway extending through the body and communicating with the upstream side of the filter for receiving a fluid to be filtered; (c) a junction mounted on the body on the downstream side of the filter and adapted to receive a closed container for receiving the filtered fluid and including sealing for creating a fluid tight seal between the container and the body; (d) a vacuum port communicating with said junction and adapted to be connected to a vacuum source for drawing the fluid through the filter and comprising a sealable vacuum vent which, when open, provides fluid communication between the vacuum port and a gas source. The device also includes a vacuum vent cap and a filter body vent and vent cap.

Vacuum filtration device sealable vacuum vent

An aircraft engine firewall seal includes a plurality of discrete, stacked-together sealing disks each have a central hole sized for receiving a feed-through member therethrough, with the disks being larger in outer diameter than the firewall aperture through which the feed-through member extends, and with the central holes being smaller in inner diameter than the firewall aperture. The disks are retained against the firewall by a retainer which fixedly clamps together the disks around the feed-through member for sealing gas flow through the firewall aperture.

Aircraft engine firewall seal

Growing community of inventors

Waltham, MA, United States of America

Louis L Bonhomme