PURIFICATION OF BACTERIAL VESICLES

摘要

A two stage filtration process is used to purify immunogenic bacterial vesicles. A first step separates the vesicles from intact bacteria based on their different sizes, with the smaller vesicles passing into the filtrate (permeate). A second step then uses a finer filter to remove smaller contaminants, with the vesicles remaining in the retentate. This two stage process is extremely simple to operate but has been shown to give vesicles of high purity.

主权项

1. A process for purifying immunogenic bacterial vesicles, comprising:
(i) a first filtration step in which vesicles obtained by disruption of or blebbing from the outer membrane of bacteria from a composition which includes both whole bacteria and the vesicles obtained therefrom are separated from the bacteria based on their different sizes, with the vesicles passing into the filtrate; and (ii) a second filtration step in which the vesicles are retained in the retentate.