Modification of Tubings for Peristaltic Pumping of Biopharmaceutics

Protein particle formation during peristaltic pumping of biopharmaceuticals is due to protein film formation on the inner tubing surface followed by rupture of the film by the roller movement. Protein adsorption can be prevented by addition of surfactants as well as by increasing the hydrophilicity of the inner surface. Attempts based on covalent surface coating were mechanically not stable against the stress of roller movement. We successfully incorporated surface segregating smart polymers based on a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) backbone and polyethylene glycol (PEG) side blocks in the tubing wall matrix. For this we applied an easy, reproducible and cost-effective process based on soaking of tubing in toluene containing the PDMS-PEG copolymer. With this tubing modification we could drastically reduce protein particle formation during peristaltic pumping of a monoclonal antibody and human growth hormone (HGH) formulation in silicone and thermoplastic elastomer-based tubing. The modification did not impact the tubing integrity during pumping while hydrophilicity was increased and protein adsorption was prevented. Free PDMS-PEG copolymer might have an additional stabilizing effect, but less than 50 ppm of the PDMS-PEG copolymer leached from the modified tubing during 1 h of pumping in the experimental setup. In summary, we present a new method for the modification of tubings which reduces protein adsorption and particle formation during any operation involving peristaltic pumping, e.g. transfer, filling, or tangential flow filtration.