Paper Number
BF7 

Session
Biomaterials and Bio-fluid Dynamics

Title
Droplet-based microfluidic tool to quantify viscosity of concentrating protein solutions and formulations

Presentation Date and Time
October 11, 2022 (Tuesday) 9:50

Track / Room
Track 4 / Michigan AB

Authors (Click on name to view author profile)

1. Yang, Deyu (Carnegie Mellon University, Chemical Engineering)
2. Walker, Lynn M. (Carnegie Mellon University, Chemical Engineering)

Author and Affiliation Lines (in printed abstract book)
Deyu Yang and Lynn M. Walker
Chemical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Speaker / Presenter 
Walker, Lynn M.

Keywords
experimental methods; bio-fluids; microscopy; suspensions

Text of Abstract
Measurement of the viscosity of concentrated protein solutions is vital for the manufacture and delivery of protein therapeutics. Conventional methods for viscosity measurements require large solution volumes, creating a severe limitation during the early stage of protein development. The goal of this work is to develop a robust technique that requires minimal sample. In this work, a droplet-based microfluidic device is developed to quantify the viscosity of protein solutions while concentrating in micrometer-scale droplets. The technique requires only microliters of sample. The corresponding viscosity is characterized by multiple particle tracking microrheology (MPT). The technique has been used to quantify viscosities of well-studied lysozyme and Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) solutions. This has been further extended to characterize the impact of excipients on protein solution viscosity; using both albumin protein and mAb protein systems.