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Updated: Aug 10, 2026
Reduced-gravity Environment Hardware Demonstrations of a Prototype Miniaturized Flow Cytometer and Companion Microfluidic Mixing Technology
Published on: November 13, 2014
Purification of biological molecules by continuous flow electrophoresis in the Second International Microgravity
M J Clifton1, H Roux-de Balmann, V Sanchez
1Laboratoire de Génie Chimique, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France.
Abstract:
The RAMSES instrument is a continuous-flow electrophoresis device that performs separation and purification of biological materials on a preparative scale. It was flown on board the shuttle Columbia during the Second International Microgravity Laboratory mission that took place from 8 to 23 July 1994. This project had a technological aim to qualify the design and the technologies used, and a more scientific one to improve understanding of the phenomena involved in this process. To reach these goals, experiments were performed in which different samples and a variety of operating conditions were used, some of which cannot be applied on earth. Useful purifications were obtained, allowing samples to be collected for further analysis on the ground. These results confirm the predictions of a numerical model that could be used for future process optimization and the samples were found to have retained their biological activity.
