THE SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION OF CELLS, VIRUSES, VIRAL PARTICLES, PROTEINS, AND OTHER BIOLOGICAL COMPONENTS HAS LONG BEEN A COSTLY AND TIME-CONSUMING ENDEAVOR, BOTH IN CLINICAL AND RESEARCH LABORATORIES AND IN INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS.

THE SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION OF CELLS, VIRUSES, VIRAL PARTICLES, PROTEINS, AND OTHER BIOLOGICAL COMPONENTS HAS LONG BEEN A COSTLY AND TIME-CONSUMING ENDEAVOR, BOTH IN CLINICAL AND RESEARCH LABORATORIES AND IN INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS. FOCUS RESEARCH HAS DEVELOPED A MODIFICATION OF A SELECTIVE, HIGH-RESOLUTION ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUE FOR THESEPARATION OF SUCH COMPOUNDS, BASED ON THE PRINCIPLE OF ISOELECTRIC FOCUSING. THE MODIFICATION HAS SEVERAL ADVANTAGES OVER EXISTING TECHNIQUES: (1) IT HAS VERY HIGH CAPACITY AND CAN BE USED IN A CONTINUOUS, FLOW-THROUGH FASHION. (2) IT CAN USE COMMON, INEXPENSIVE BUFFER REAGENTS. (3) IT PRODUCES SHALLOWER PH GRADIENTS, WITH RESULTING HIGHER RESOLUTION THAN EXISTING TECHNIQUES. (4) THE PH GRADIENT MAY BE ALTERED AT WILL DURING THE FOCUSING RUN TO ACHIEVE MAXIMAL SEPARATION OF ONE OR MORE COMPONENTS FROM A GIVEN STARTING MATERIAL. THE GOAL OF THE PROPOSED RESEARCH IS TO OPTIMIZE THIS PROCEDURE FOR USE IN BOTH ANALYTICAL AND INDUSTRIAL-SCALE APPLICATIONS. ITS SPECIFIC AIMS ARE TO PRODUCE A MORE POWERFUL AND SOPHISTICATED ELECTRONICS PACKAGE AND TO INVESTIGATE THE USE OF THE TECHNIQUE IN FOCUSING CHANNELS OF VARIOUS CONFIGURATIONS IN ORDER TO OPTIMIZE ITS EFFECTIVENESS. ALSO, A WIDE RANGE OF BUFFERS WILL BE TESTED FOR THEIR EFFICACY IN ESTABLISHING AND MAINTAINING PH GRADIENTS.