Method Has Several Advantages Over Traditional Antibody Production Methods

H ydrophobic charge-induction chromatography, or HCIC, is a novel chromatographic technique for separation of biological macromolecules, based on the pH-dependent behavior of ionizable, dual-mode ligands. Selectivity is orthogonal to ion exchange and other commonly employed chromatographic modes (Figure 1). Binding is based on mild hydrophobic interaction and is achieved under nearphysiological conditions, without the addition of lyotropic or other salts. Desorption is based on electrostatic charge repulsion and is accomplished by reducing the pH of the mobile phase. Under mild acidic conditions (pH 4.0–4.5), both the ligand and target molecule take on a net positive charge; binding is thus disrupted and elution occurs. Elution is conducted using dilute buffer (e.g., 50 mM acetate). The new BioSepra MEP HyperCel sorbent from Life Technologies, Inc. (LTI; Rockville, MD) has been optimized for capture and purification of monoclonal and polyclonal IgG. The heterocyclic ligand, derived from 4-mercaptoethylpyridine (4-MEP; Figure 2), provides efficient capture and purification of antibodies from a broad range of sources, such as animal sera, ascites fluid and a variety of cell culture Reprint from D a i l y B i o t e c h U p d a t e s . . . w w w . g e n e n g n e w s . c o m