A leading high-tech company focussing on ion exchange resins, adsorbents, specialty resins and dedicated equipment, Sunresin’s headquarters are in Xi’an, China and there are five manufacturing sites.

It is driving innovation in many fields such as hydrometallurgy, food, chemical, water treatment and Life Science. Manufacturing capabilities exceed 70,000 T/Y and chemistries are ranging from synthetic polymers, agarose and dextran in order to serve many different applications and industries.

The Life Science Division includes a large variety of products to support the manufacture and purification of small and large biomolecules:

–           Resins for solid phase synthesis of peptides and oligonucleotides.

–           Chromatography resins for purification of biomolecules based on synthetic polymers, agarose and dextran.

–           Carriers for enzyme immobilisation.

–           Magnetic microsphere for separation of biomolecules.

–           Microcarriers for animal cell culture.

–           APIs and excipients with complete DMF.

The Life Science product line is serving the pharmaceutical and food industry and here are some case studies of resin applications.

Optimising gentamicin sulphate production with Sunresin’s advanced ion exchange resins

Gentamicin sulfate production overview: gentamicin sulphate, a thermally-stable aminoglycoside antibiotic, is synthesised through three primary methodologies:

• Fermentation: Culturing specific strains in a designated medium.
• Semi-synthesis: Integrating natural extraction with chemical synthesis for enhanced antibiotic efficacy by structural optimisation.
• Biological conversion: Utilising micro-organisms’ metabolic capabilities to produce gentamicin precursors.

The purity and quality of gentamicin sulphate directly influence product yield, necessitating stringent production control to achieve the pharmaceutical standards.

Purification of gentamicin by use of ion exchange resins is the preferred method since very high purity can be achieved. A first step using anion exchange resin allows it to adsorb positively-charged anionic dyes, still preserving gentamicin sulphate’s integrity. In a second step, cation exchange resin is used to remove cationic dyes and impurities, yielding gentamicin sulphate matching pharmaceutical purity standards.

Sunresin’s LX Series – Elevating Gentamicin Production: In response to industry demands, Sunresin introduced the Seplite LX series resins, tailored for gentamicin sulphate and other aminoglycoside pharmaceuticals. These resins, a product of advanced R&D modifications, exhibit enhanced ion exchange capacity, anti-contamination properties, mechanical robustness and extended shelf life. Comparative industrial validations underscore the LX series’ efficiency, particularly in raw material processing and reduced reagent consumption.

Picture: Sunresin 1

Contrast media solutions

Contrast media are compounds used in medical imaging. Administered typically by injection, these organic compounds, with their varying densities, enable imaging devices to visualise contrasts, with iodine preparations and barium sulphate being commonly used for X-ray observations.

Primarily, contrast media bring to light blood vessels and body cavities, becoming indispensable agents in interventional radiology. They are categorised into non-ionic and ionic, with the non-ionic being the preferred choice owing to its minimised toxic side-effects, especially in angiography and transvascular contrast examinations.

During non-ionic contrast media production, desalting and purification steps are critical, since they ensure elimination of salts, impurities and organic residues, and delivering high-purity final products.

Several demineralisation and purification techniques methodologies are used for desalination and purification, each one selected based on the contrast media’s type and production requisites:

1. Membrane filtration.
2. Reverse osmosis.
3. Ion exchange.
4. Chromatographic desalting process.

Sunresin, with its innovative spirit, has pioneered the iodixanol purification process, utilising the Seplife® LX series chromatographic resins and the DAC1000 industrial preparative chromatography system, achieving over 90% yield and 99.8% purity in automatic mode, aligning production results with laboratory experiments.

Dynamic Axial Compression (DAC) chromatography stands out as an efficient separation technique, offering rapid separation, wide sample adaptability, lower sample consumption and high stability and repeatability, making it a versatile choice for diverse analytical scenarios.

Advantages of Sunresin’s chromatographic separation equipment include:

1. Rapid separation: Achieve faster separation processes and improved analytical efficiency with DAC technology.
2. Versatility: Adapt to a wide range of compounds and resins, suitable for varying molecular weights and phase separations.
3. Economical: Exceptional separation efficiency allows for reduced sample requirements, ideal for limited or high-cost compounds.
4. Reliability: Experience enhanced stability and repeatability with minimised column eccentricity and pile-up effects.

Purification of oligonucleotides by high pressure chromatography

Solid Phase Oligonucleotide Synthesis (SPOS) involves a large number of sequential reactions that results in the presence of impurities after resin cleavage. These include truncated oligonucleotides and sequences with chemically-modified bases, which necessitate removal post-synthesis.

Chromatography purification is the method of choice for component separation within mixtures. It operates on the principle of differential adsorption on to a stationary phase, with components subsequently eluted using a solvent or solvent mixture, termed the mobile phase.

Anion-exchange HPLC distinguishes oligonucleotides based on charge differences. Given that each oligonucleotide in the crude mixture is a polyanion with a specific net negative charge (determined by its phosphodiester groups), a strong anion-exchange chromatographic resin, commonly referred to as quaternary amine (Q) as stationary phase, is employed. The separation is achieved by gradually increasing the mobile phase’s ionic strength, thereby reducing the bond between the oligonucleotide (polyanion) and the cationic charged stationary phase.

Sunresin Seplife® LXMS 50Q, Seplife® LXMS 30Q and Seplife® LXMS 15Q are optimal for purification of oligonucleotides. These resins, available in three distinct particle sizes (50, 30 and 15 microns), cover a spectrum of applications, from capture and intermediate purification to fine purification.

The advantages of Seplife® LXMS 50Q, Seplife® LXMS 30Q and Seplife® LXMS 15Q are the narrow particle size distribution, thus ensuring a high number of theoretical plates, the versatility for both analytical and large-scale oligonucleotide purification and the scalability, since manufacturing capabilities are up to 100 Kg per batch.

Exploiting resin adsorption for VOCs Treatment

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are characterised by their high vapour pressure and low water solubility. Predominantly man-made, these compounds are integral in pharmaceutical manufacturing.

Traditional VOCs treatment methods include:

1. Regenerative Thermal Oxidation (RTO): A prevalent method for treating VOCs in industrial processes. While RTO has its merits, it’s not without drawbacks:

• Environmental concerns.
• Risk of catalyst deactivation.
• Maintenance complexity.

2. Activated Carbon: Another widely-adopted method, activated carbon, however, presents challenges such as:

• Limited adsorption capacity.
• Regeneration costs.
• Disposal issues with spent carbon.

Sunresin has developed a resin adsorption technology, not just to meet emission standards, but also to recover solvents, including alkanes, halogenated hydrocarbons, aromatic hydrocarbons, low-carbon alcohols, ketones, esters and other organic compounds.

The resin SEPLITE® CT10 is tailored for non-polar and weakly polar VOCs. It employs a specially manufactured macroporous polymer adsorption resin, featuring:

• Uniform pore size.
• High specific surface area.
• Robust strength.

The resin leverages non-polar adsorption and intermolecular forces, ensuring selective adsorption of non-polar and weakly polar molecular groups in (waste) gas. The resin SEPLITE® CT10 facilitates effective recovery and ensures gas emission compliances.

Sunresin – Your partner in pioneering resin technology!

Cutting-edge innovation is in Sunresin’s DNA. Its name is new to some, yet it has a legacy spanning the globe, with over two decades of innovation and expertise. The company is at the forefront of resin-based technology development and is helping drive advances in adsorption, purification and synthesis for the pharmaceutical and biotech industries.

Sunresin brings a heritage of excellence to the resin technology horizon. As your trusted partner, its expansive portfolio will give research and manufacturing teams capabilities they never thought possible.