One of the major challenges in production of therapeutically useful proteins, including products of recombinant DNA technology, is rapid and cost-effective purification of the proteins. High Performance Immuno-Affinity Chromatography is a powerful new technique for protein purification at production scale. Use of this technique has been hampered by the expense and difficulty of custom coupling specific antibodies to silica supports. In addition to the demand for production-scale activated columns, basic researchers have expressed an urgent need for this type of activated silica support in a smaller format. This proposal outlines development of activated silica supports which will be pre-packed into columns and used for immobilization of specific antibodies by the customer. Phase I includes development of protocol for preparation of a novel activated silica support, hydrazine HiPAC, and use of this support to immobilize IgG via oligosaccharides on the antibody. In Phase II, protocols for immobilization of IgG on columns pre-packed with activated silica will be developed.
