A recent study by Novartis has found a way to make the process of cleaning medicines, specifically monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), simpler and more effective. This could lead to safer medicines for everyone. The study focused on removing unwanted substances, like host cell proteins and aggregates, which can sometimes remain in medicines even after the cleaning process. The researchers found that using a method called membrane chromatography can help remove these unwanted substances more efficiently. This method can also make the cleaning process more flexible and improve the overall quality of the medicine. The study involved several steps, including an initial screening, monitoring of certain enzymes, and implementing a new cleaning sequence. The researchers found that a hybrid purifier, which combines two different cleaning methods, could simplify the process and increase productivity. However, the proposed approach requires a lot of resources and time. To overcome this, the team adapted a faster method to monitor enzyme activity. The researchers compared the efficiency of three different cleaning materials. They found that all three materials were effective, but each had a different impact on the process and the final product. The study also identified several critical host cell proteins that can affect the stability and quality of the medicine. The membrane-based devices used in the study showed a high capacity for removing these unwanted substances. For example, the hybrid purifier could reduce host cell protein levels from 8000 parts per million to as low as 10 parts per million. While the hybrid purifier is not a conventional cleaning method, it could provide an alternative to traditional methods. The study also found that using only one cleaning method was not enough to remove all aggregates. Therefore, the researchers recommended using a combination of different cleaning methods to get the best results. The study was published in the Journal of Chromatography B.