Patent ID: 8921088

Claim:
A method for harvesting or separating one or more biological cells from an aqueous feed, a stream, a suspension, or any combinations thereof comprising the steps of: (a) providing the aqueous feed, the stream, or the suspension comprising the one or more biological cells in a tank or a vessel; (b) providing one or more ion-exchange resins, wherein the ion-exchange resin is an anion-exchange resin, wherein the anion-exchange resin may be packed in a column, attached to a substrate, be in a solution, or any combinations thereof; (c) contacting the anion-exchange resin with the aqueous feed, the stream, or the suspension comprising the one or more biological cells; (d) binding the one or more biological cells to the anion-exchange resin, wherein the binding is done by maintaining a specific pH; (e) releasing or eluting the bound one or more biological cells by changing the pH by addition of an acid, a base, or one or more chemicals, wherein the change in the pH involves an increase or a decrease in the pH, wherein the release or elution of the biological cells is accomplished in a pH range of 8-13; and (f) collecting the released one or more biological cells to obtain a concentrated slurry of the one or more biological cells.