Recent advances in biotechnology and molecular biology have brought about new concerns in protein purification. The proposed protein purification knowledge base addresses some of these issues by providing new computer- readable protein purification databases coupled with an expert system to suggest protocols for purifying new proteins. Experimental data will be scanned, digitized and analyzed for relevant information that the expert system can use to update the working purification strategy. This knowledge base system can decrease the costs of developing new biotechnology products by optimizing the development of large-scale protein purification processes and by using the expertise of key protein purification personnel more efficiently. In addition, a subset of the knowledge base can be used to train students in protein purification techniques. The purification databases will also be distributed independently of the expert system and will be updated on a regular basis.
