Bioseparations, Separation Methods in Proteomics

Abstract

Bioseparations entail separations of proteins and other materials from biological matrices. In the last few decades, proteins have gained significant importance. For example, monoclonal antibodies and recombinant antibodies are now among the largest classes of proteins that have received FDA approval for therapeutics and diagnostics. The protein engineering market in 2006 was worth almost 67 billion dollars and is predicted to rise to 118 billion dollars by 2011. Development of protein and peptide therapeutics is revolutionizing the biotech and pharmaceutical markets, spurring the creation of next‐generation products with reduced immunogenicity, improved safety and greater effectiveness. Oncology is the dominant therapy for both monoclonal antibodies and other types of engineered proteins. Proteomics is concerned with the global investigation of gene and cell functions at the protein level. The goals of proteomics are determination of protein expression levels, post‐translational modifications, protein localization, and protein–protein interactions. One of the important goals of proteomics that deserves special mention here is the discovery and identification of protein biomarkers of disease states. Of all the biomolecules, proteins present the greatest challenges in bioseparations. The main focus of this article is on the important bioseparations techniques that are most useful for separations and characterization of proteins.