Technology

From small-volume research to industrial production, we rebuild filtration around one process logic.

Overview

Two scales, two different problems

Small-volume processing serves research, process development and personalised therapies: samples are a few millilitres or less, high in value and many in number. It needs small volumes, low loss and reproducibility — and the process data produced here has to be able to support scale-up later.

Large-volume processing serves precision fermentation and industrial biomanufacturing: higher output per unit of capacity, longer continuous operating time, lower capital and operating cost, and fewer manual interventions and intermediate steps.

The physical constraints differ, and scaling one architecture up or down does not resolve both. We start with small volume — it is where the process chain begins, and where existing solutions fit least well.

Small volume

Scalable small-volume filtration

Low-volume tangential flow filtration — why existing equipment is a poor fit, and where we started instead.

Not scalable, hard to control

Methods common at the research stage — concentrating in ultrafiltration spin tubes, for example — do not scale reliably. At transfer, the process often has to be developed again from scratch.

Minimum volume mismatch

Systems on the market generally have a minimum working volume above 10 mL. For high-value samples of a few millilitres or less, being forced into an unnecessary batch size wastes both sample and consumables.

Manual operation

The smaller the volume, the more pump vibration interferes with conventional monitoring such as balances. The run then needs watching throughout — levels, pressure by hand, endpoint by judgement — and the operator becomes the main source of variability.

Our approach

Designed from first principles

We didn't start from an existing product. We started from the question: what structure does tangential flow filtration actually need at half a millilitre?

  • Shorter flow paths, lower hold-up — dead volume comes mostly from tubing length and fitting count. We redesigned the holder that fixes the hollow fiber module, adding a degree of rotational freedom so the tubing can be shortened and hold-up reduced.
  • Smaller hollow fiber filters — membrane area matched to sample volume rather than a filter longer than the job needs; this lowers hold-up further and reduces product adsorption on the membrane surface, improving recovery.
  • Pressure regulated by flow path design — passive pressure control through tubing dimensions and flow matching, not operator adjustment.
  • Better weight monitoring — a filtrate line support partially isolates pump vibration from the filtrate balance, giving more accurate weight readings, reliable endpoint detection and automatic stop, with no manual judgement.
The result isn't the same machine made cheaper. It's a different machine: a simpler system to run, higher throughput, more automation, more reliable results, and process data that can support scale-up.
Applications

Where it's used

LNP & RNA therapeutics

Concentration, desalting and buffer exchange for LNPs, mRNA and plasmid DNA.

Exosomes & EVs

Low-shear enrichment and purification that preserves vesicle integrity and activity.

Viral vectors

Gentle concentration and buffer exchange for AAV, lentivirus and related vectors.

Proteins & antibodies

Concentration, desalting and formulation buffer exchange for recombinant proteins and antibodies.

Nanomedicines

Washing, concentration and media exchange for drug delivery particles.

A faster alternative to dialysis

Complete buffer exchange in hours rather than days.

Industry direction

We build our industrial bioproduction platform around three directions

Fit-for-Scale
Fit-for-Scale

One filtration platform covering research, small scale, pilot and commercial — sized right at each stage, with smooth scale-up between them.

Process Intensification
Process Intensification

Higher efficiency and lower input from the same equipment footprint, through better filtration and intelligent control.

Continuous Processing
Continuous Processing

Filtration, concentration and purification integrated into a continuous flow, reducing intermediate storage and monitoring steps.

OFFICIAL PARTNERSHIP
Metaway Biotech is the sole official collaborator of Tanda Biotech. Metaway holds the exclusive licence to Tanda's filtration technology for the Chinese market and is responsible for local product engineering, manufacturing, sales and technical support. For enquiries outside China, please contact Tanda Biotech directly. Beware of unauthorised parties claiming to represent Tanda Biotech in China.