ISOLATION OF ALBUMIN BY CONTINUOUS AFFINITY SEPARATION

THE PROPOSED WORK IS DIRECTED TOWARD THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NOVEL AND EFFICIENT METHOD FOR THE CONTINUOUS ISOLATION AND PURIFICATION OF BIOMOLECULES FROM COMPLEX AND DILUTE MIXTURES. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN BIOLOGY ALLOW THE DESIGN AND CULTURE OF MICROORGANISMS AND CELLS CAPABLE OF PRODUCINGSPECIFIC PROTEINS AND ENZYMES OF CLINICAL AND COMMERCIAL IMPORTANCE. PRODUCTION OF THESE PROTEIN PRODUCTS CONSISTS OF TWO STEPS: (1) FERMENTATION OF CELL CULTURE, AND (2) ISOLATION AND PURIFICATION. ALTHOUGH FERMENTATION AND CELL CULTURE HAVE UNDERGONE MUCH RECENT DEVELOPMENT, ISOLATION AND PURIFICATION REMAIN THE WEAKEST PART OF THE OVERALL PROCESS. THE GOAL OF THE PHASE I PROGRAM IS TO ESTABLISH THE FEASIBILITY OF EMPLOYING HOLLOW-FIBER MEMBRANES IN CONJUNCTION WITH AFFINITY BINDING FOR THE PURIFICATION OF PROTEINS. THE REMOVAL AND ISOLATION OF ALBUMIN FROM HUMAN PLASMA WILL BE USED TO EVALUATE THE FEASIBILITY OF BEND RESEARCH, INC.'S APPROACH. SUCCESS IN THIS PROGRAM WILL MAKE AVAILABLE A GENERAL METHOD FOR THE PURIFICATION OF OTHER COMMERCIALLY IMPORTANT PROTEINS.