PURIFICATION OF PROTEINS USING FOAM FRACTIONATION

Purification is an important step in the production of pharmaceuticals from recombinant proteins. The characteristics of industrial-scale pu rification schemes, such as conventional chromatography, have a signif icant impact on the cost of production. Foam fractionation, a novel se paration technique based upon the differences in affinities of compone nts for the gas/aqueous interface of a foam, has the potential to be a cost-effective component in a purification scheme. This review covers some of the more recent studies in understanding the process and appl ications of foam fractionation in protein-containing systems with spec ial attention to the requirements of pharmaceutical products.