Particle interaction characterization using overlapping scattering and concentration measurements

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to methods and apparatus for detecting particle interaction characteristics, such as B₂₂ and K_D interaction parameters.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Measuring molecular self-interaction can help to indicate whether particular particles will aggregate or crystallize. One measure of self-interaction is the B₂₂ interaction parameter. Prior art methods of detecting the B₂₂ interaction parameter are described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,630,076 and US Appl. No. 20070291265, which are herein incorporated by reference. As shown in FIG. 1, these methods involve performing scattering and ultraviolet (UV) absorbance measurements on a sample in a flow cell.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Several aspects of this invention are presented in this specification and its claims. Systems according to the invention can simplify the measurement of interaction parameters by allowing them to be performed with a simpler instrument. This is particularly advantageous in that simultaneous UV and scattering measurements can be performed without requiring alignment of two sources and the uncertainty that can arise from potential misalignment. Systems according to the invention can also operate without optical fibers in the incoming optical path, which can eliminate solarization effects.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a prior art instrument; and

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an illustrative interaction characterization instrument according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIG. 1, an illustrative interaction characterization instrument 20 according to the invention 22 includes a LED source that preferably includes a 280 nm light emitting diode. The optical axis of the LED passes through a focusing lens 24 into a flow cell 26. The flow cell preferably has a small cross-section to keep the illuminated sample size small. In this embodiment it is implemented with a square capillary tube with 0.25 mm sides.

Light from the source that is not absorbed or scattered by the sample may additionally pass through a band-pass filter 28 (although this filter should not be required for a narrow-band LED source), such as an interference filter, to a UV detector 30, which can include a low-noise photometer, PIN diode, photomultiplier or other suitable type of detector element. Light from the source that is scattered at a predetermined angle passes through a slit or pinhole 32 and on to a scattering detector 34. The scattering detector and slit are positioned to perform a static light scattering (SLS) particle-size measurements on light scattered at 90 degrees in this embodiment, but other scattering angles including backscattering angles can also be used. Optical fibers can be used in the optical paths in the instrument but they are not necessary and generally not desirable.

Outputs of the UV detector 30 and scattering detector 34 are provided to inputs of a dual-mode compensation module 36. The dual-mode compensation logic corrects the scattering signal output based on the amount of light that reaches the UV detector. The resulting corrected signals are then provided to an interaction parameter determination module 38, which preferably computes a B₂₂ parameter. These compensation and parameter determination modules can be implemented together or separately using a general-purpose computer workstation running special-purpose software, dedicated hardware, or a combination of both.

In operation, a slug of a particulate sample, such as a protein or other macromolecule, is injected into a carrier flow that flows through the flow cell 24. As the sample flow passes through the flow cell, the scattering detector and UV detector acquire measured scattering and UV transmission values. The measured values from the two detectors are acquired simultaneously or are at least acquired close in time to each other, relative to the flow rate. In the illustrative embodiment, the flow rate is set to cause a 1-10 microliter slug to pass the detectors in 20 minutes during which they each take 100 measurements. These measurements can be preformed automatically and combined to obtain a B₂₂ value for the sample. Formulation buffer exchange could be performed by using conventional liquid chromatography (LC) guard columns (with known low molecular weight cutoff) along with a carrier stream consisting of the formulation buffer of interest, to acquire B₂₂ values from a series of different formulations without having to manually prepare the protein sample in each of the formulation buffers of interest. A filter, such as a membrane or frit filter, can also be provided to prevent particles above a predetermined threshold size from affecting the measurement.

The present invention has now been described in connection with a number of specific embodiments thereof. However, numerous modifications which are contemplated as falling within the scope of the present invention should now be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, a UV filter and/or scattering slit may be added (e.g., if the LED does not have a sufficiently narrow bandwidth). The source can also be a laser diode, or use a different wavelength, such as 220 nm. Therefore, it is intended that the scope of the present invention be limited only by the scope of the claims appended hereto. In addition, the order of presentation of the claims should not be construed to limit the scope of any particular term in the claims.