Recent advances in molecular biology have led to the generation of new and novel techniques for producing biomedical and pharmaceutical proteins. Often, however, the requisite purity of such new materials dictates the need for a downstream separation technology well beyond the use of conventional or classical physicochemical recovery methods. In this work the focus is upon the effect of thermodynamic parameters such as pressure on the separation efficiency of these new biotechnology methods. The primary objective of this work is to investigate the effect of elevated pressures on the binding of protein agents (antigens, haptens, etc.) to biospecific receptors (monoclonal antibodies). Such studies will lead to the development of gentle methods of elution and recovery of these target biologicals.
