Salt-tolerant cation exchange HD-Sb hydrogel membrane: mAb purification performance in flowthrough mode

Development of Protein A based purification platforms have simplified the downstream processing of monoclonal antibodies (mAb), the largest component of biopharmaceuticals. The ever increasing titer of the cell culture process is putting more pressure on the downstream process to further increase its productivity. The classical Protein A based mAb purification platform consists of two polishing steps, bind and elute cation-exchanger and flowthrough anion-exchanger. Cation-exchange chromatography is very efficient at the separation of HCP, leached Protein A and product-related impurities such as aggregates and fragments in bind and elute mode. However, anion-exchange chromatography is a proven technology to remove DNA, viruses, endotoxins and HCP in flowthrough mode. This study compares bind and elute mAb purification performance with that in flowthrough mode for the Natrix HD-Sb hydrogel membrane. Natrix HD-Sb is a salt-tolerant strong cation-exchange membrane augmented with hydrophobic butyl groups. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of Natrix HD-Sb chemistry in removing aggregates and HCP from challenging feed at high load with significant improvement in productivity and simplicity. The flowthrough separation performance of Natrix HD-Sb at neutral pH will be highlighted to show the potential of having tandem polishing steps (cation-exchange → anion-exchange) without needing any pH or conductivity adjustment. This tandem membrane approach has the potential for streamlining the downstream process for increased productivity & process efficiency

Profiling of Tumour-Infiltrating Lymphocytes and Tumour-Associated Macrophages in Ovarian Epithelial Cancer:Relation to Tumour Characteristics and Impact on Prognosis

Early evidence suggests a strong impact of tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) on both the prognosis and clinical behaviour of ovarian cancer. Proven associations, however, have not yet translated to successful immunotherapies and further work in the field is urgently needed. We aimed to analyse the tumour microenvironment of a well-characterised cohort of ovarian cancer samples. Tumour markers were selected owing to their comparative underrepresentation in the current literature. Paraffin-embedded, formalin-fixed tumour tissue blocks of 138 patients representative of the population and including early stage disease were identified, stained for CD3, CD20, CD68 and CD163 and analysed for both the stromal and intertumoral components. Data were statistically analysed in relation to clinical details, histological subtype, borderline vs. malignant status, survival and management received. Mean stromal CD3, total CD3 count, mean stromal CD20 and total CD20 count all correlated negatively with survival. Malignant ovarian tumours consistently demonstrated significantly higher infiltration of all analysed immune cells than borderline tumours. Assessment of the stromal compartment produced a considerably higher proportion of significant results when compared to the intra-tumoural infiltrates. Customary assessment of solely intra-tumoural cells in advanced stage disease patients undergoing primary debulking surgery should be challenged, with recommendations for future scoring systems provided

The effect of the measures taken during the coronavirus pandemic on specialty trainees in obstetrics and gynaecology in the United Kingdom: an online questionnaire survey in one region

The coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has had unprecedented effects on healthcare delivery. A 34-question online survey was sent to obstetrics and gynaecology trainees within the West Midlands to assess the impact of the pandemic on training, working practices and well-being. 101 responses were received from obstetrics and gynaecology trainees. Trainees reported a significant reduction in both elective and emergency surgeries as well as outpatient clinics. Over one third of respondents felt additional training time may be required following reduction of clinical opportunities. 44% of trainees felt their workload increased significantly. 55% of trainees felt the pandemic had a significant negative impact on their physical and mental well-being. Obstetrics and gynaecology trainees in the West Midlands have adapted to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic despite significant impact on their training, working practices and wellbeing. It is important to tailor training to improve trainees’ education and combat lost training time during the pandemic. This should be considered for long-term shaping of the obstetrics and gynaecology training pathway.IMPACT STATEMENT What is already known on this subject? Little research is available about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on obstetrics and gynaecology trainees. This is the first study of its kind to assess the effect of the pandemic on obstetrics ang gynaecology trainees in the United Kingdom. What do the results of this study add? The results of this study have shown that obstetrics and gynaecology training has been heavily affected during the COVID-19 pandemic. There have been significant impacts on their training, working patterns and physical and mental wellbeing. What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? These findings can be used to mould the obstetrics and gynaecology training pathway based on the feedback given by the trainees during the pandemic. The survey questions can also be utilised as a framework for similar research projects across the United Kingdom Deaneries, among other specialties and around the world