Biotechnology of Plasma Proteins

The fractionation of human blood plasma can be considered to be a mature industry, with the basic technology, alcohol fractionation, dating back at least to the 1940s. Many of the products described in the current work have been approved biologics since the 1950s. The information gathered from the development of plasma proteins has proved vital to the development of recombinant therapeutic proteins. Discussing the role of plasma proteins in current biotechnology, Biotechnology of Plasma Proteins describes the protein composition of human plasma, the fractionation of plasma to obtain therapeutic proteins, and the analysis of these products. It delineates the path from plasma products to recombinant products, and highlights products from albumin, intravenous immunoglobins, and coagulation. It offers a comprehensive review of current techniques for the analysis of proteins including electrophoresis, chromatography, spectrophotometry, mass spectrometry, and updates not published since 1975. Key TopicsProtein Composition of PlasmaProteomic methods for plasma protein analysisPlasma protein biomarkersValidation of biomarkersAssays for plasma biomarkersMethods for the Analysis of Protein ProductsAssay development and validationElectrophoresisChromatographyImmunoassayMass spectrometryRaman spectroscopyPlasma Fractionation: Historical and Modern Methods Development of Cohn alcohol fractionationIndustrial methodsDevelopment of chromatographic methodsPlasma Protein Products of Therapeutic Value AlbuminIntravenous immunoglobulinCoagulation productsGrowth factorsWound management