A Microliter Capillary Rheometer for Characterization of Protein Solutions

Published

October 10, 2014

Author(s)

Steven D Hudson, Prasad S. Sarangapani, Kalman D. Migler, Jai A. Pathak

Abstract

Rheometry is an important characterization tool for therapeutic protein solutions because it determines syringeability and relates indirectly to solution stability and thermodynamic interactions. Despite the maturity of rheometry, there remains a need for a rheometer that meets the following three needs of the biopharamaceutical industry: small volume; large dynamic range of shear rates; and no air-sample interface. Here we report the development of a miniaturized capillary rheometer that meets these needs and is potentially scalable to a multi-well format. These measurements consume only a few microliters of sample and have an uncertainty of a few percent. We demonstrate its performance on monoclonal antibody solutions at different concentrations and temperatures. The instrument has a dynamic range of approximately three decades (in shear rate) and can measure Newtonian, shear thinning and yielding behaviors, which are representative of the different solution behaviors typically encountered. We compare our microliter capillary rheometer to existing instruments to describe the range of parameter space covered by our device.

Citation

Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Volume

104

Pub Type

Journals

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.1002/jps.24201

Keywords

viscosity, rheology, microfluidics, microliter, protein solution, monoclonal antibody

Citation

, S. , Sarangapani, P. , Migler, K. and Pathak, J. (2014), A Microliter Capillary Rheometer for Characterization of Protein Solutions, Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, [online], https://doi.org/10.1002/jps.24201 (Accessed October 5, 2024)