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 micro-organisms and cells capable of producing specific proteins or enzymes of clinical or commercial importance. Production of these protein products consists of two steps: 1) fermentation or 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. We have identified the removal and isolation of albumin from human plasma as a worthwhile project to evaluate the feasibility of our approach. We anticipate that success in this program will offer a general method for the purification of other commercially important proteins.
