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Promote efficient purification with affinity chromatography resins

Achieving high purity and yield during biologics purification can be challenging with the myriad of therapeutic formats. Within Thermo Fisher Scientific’s connected bioprocessing workflows, affinity chromatography resins offer a selective, single-step solution designed to simplify recovery and support reproducible performance. CaptureSelect technology supports affinity chromatography for advanced antibody formats including bispecifics and multispecifics, Fabs and fragments, as well as recombinant proteins and viral vectors.


Benefits of affinity chromatography resins

Affinity chromatography resins enable efficient, high-yield purification under gentle conditions that help preserve quality and reduce downstream polishing. Integrated into bioprocessing workflows, the resins allow scalable performance from process development through cGMP manufacturing. Some benefits of CaptureSelect resins include:

  • High specificity for a particular epitope of the target molecule
  • High binding capacity for concentrated feedstreams
  • Mild elution conditions for pH-sensitive proteins
  • Alternative when Protein A (ProA) chromatography does not meet process goals

Affinity chromatography resins for both cGMP manufacturing and bench or research scale

While the CaptureSelect affinity resins are ultimately designed and used in bioprocess development and manufacturing, our portfolio supports researchers with comprehensive solutions for high-specificity purification at the bench. Covering additional antibodies, proteins, fragments, hormones, enzymes, and viral targets, these resins enable efficient and reproducible isolation of biomolecules to accelerate discovery and development.


Product information

Select the modality to discover resins that support your specific workflow.

Antibody therapeutics

Recombinant proteins and biosimilars

Gene therapy purification

mRNA purification

Other modalities and applications supported

ADCs

Antibody-Drug Conjugates (ADCs) workflows rely on chromatography steps to separate complex conjugates and reduce impurities. These approaches support consistent production of ADCs for therapeutic research and biomanufacturing.

Cell Therapy

Cell therapies utilize living cells as treatments, necessitating strict control over inputs and processing steps. Chromatography is applied to prepare ancillary materials, such as cytokines or viral vectors, that are used during cell manufacturing.

Gene Therapy

Gene therapy often relies on viral vectors, such as adeno-associated virus (AAV) or lentivirus, to facilitate the transfer of genetic material. Chromatography separates drug product from product- and process-related impurities in both capture and polishing steps.

mAbs

Monoclonal antibody purification typically starts with Protein A chromatography to capture the antibody from cell culture fluid. Additional steps, such as ion exchange, are used to help reduce aggregates, variants, or process-related impurities.

mRNA

Chromatography in mRNA production separates full-length transcripts from double-stranded RNA and truncated products. The purified RNA can then be used in formulation or downstream steps, such as lipid nanoparticle assembly.

Vaccines

Chromatography is often used in vaccine manufacturing for both the capture and polishing of the vaccine drug product. The choice of method depends on the platform, for example, protein subunits, viral vectors, or nucleic acid vaccines.

Plasma fractionation

Plasma fractionation separates plasma proteins—such as albumin, immunoglobulins, and clotting factors—for various therapeutic applications. Chromatography steps integrated into these workflows facilitate selectivity and consistency, for improved overall yield of precious plasma-derived products. Thermo Fisher supports improved productivity in plasma purification processes with affinity and polishing resins implemented at many stages.
 

Frequently asked questions

Resins for affinity chromatography are used to purify biomolecules based on specific interactions between a ligand and its target. They allow the selective capture of antibodies, fragments, recombinant proteins, and viral vectors in a single purification step. This specificity helps minimize the need for additional polishing steps, thereby helping improve process yield, recovery, and overall efficiency from development through cGMP manufacturing.

Resin selection depends on the molecule’s size, structure, and intended purification conditions. Consider ligand specificity, binding strength, and elution requirements when comparing options. Thermo Fisher offers custom resin development services for projects that require specific ligand chemistries or performance characteristics. Learn more about custom resin development or custom POROS development.

Affinity chromatography resins are produced under controlled quality systems and can be used in cGMP manufacturing. Each batch is released with supporting documentation, including certificates of analysis and regulatory files, for enhanced traceability.

The chromatography product portfolio includes anion exchange chromatography (AEX) and hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) resins for different stages of purification. Chromatography columns and pre-packed formats are available to support method setup and scale-up. 96-well screening plates enable rapid resin evaluation by allowing multiple purifications to run in parallel.

Affinity chromatography is commonly used as one of the first capture steps in monoclonal antibody purification. Protein A resins bind the Fc region of antibodies, allowing selective recovery from cell culture fluid. Subsequent steps, such as ion exchange and polishing, reduce aggregates and host-cell proteins.

Evaluation samples are available for small-scale testing and process development. These allow comparison of binding capacity, recovery, and elution behavior before scaling up. Requests can be submitted through the Biotherapeutics Purification Sample Request Form.

Explore other chromatography resins

Anion exchange chromatography resins

AEX resins capture negatively charged species through interactions with positively charged functional groups. Strong AEX resins maintain capacity across a wide pH and conductivity range for both capture and polishing.

 

Cation exchange chromatography resins

Cation exchange chromatography (CEX) resins separate positively charged biomolecules using negatively charged groups on the matrix. This approach is often used to purify proteins, peptides, and enzymes, offering stable performance from process development through cGMP manufacturing.

Hydrophobic interaction chromatography resins

HIC separates biomolecules by surface hydrophobicity. HIC is commonly used as a polishing step to improve purity when charge-based methods are limited.



 

Ion exchange chromatography resins

Ion exchange chromatography (IEX) resins rely on charge interactions with functional groups to separate biomolecules. Available in strong and weak base or acid chemistries, they are suited for bind/elute or flow-through purification of antibodies, vaccines, viral vectors, and other biologics.

Mixed-mode chromatography resin

Mixed-mode chromatography uses ion exchange and hydrophobic interactions within a single chemistry to improve selectivity in complex samples. POROS mixed-mode cation exchange chromatography resin is used to reduce aggregates, host cell proteins, and other impurities.
 

Protein A chromatography resin

Protein A chromatography is widely used for antibody purification. The MabCaptureC resin offers high binding capacity, alkaline stability, and scalability, while keeping costs of goods in mind, making it suitable for process development and cGMP manufacturing.

 

Explore more chromatography resins

Chromatography resins include affinity, IEX, HIC, and mixed-mode formats. They enable reproducible performance from screening tools to cGMP production, supporting process consistency across purification steps.

Not sure which resins are right for you?


Selecting the right resin depends on your molecule type, process stage, and purification goals. Compare chemistries, binding capacities, and scalability data in one place.
 

Custom chromatography resins engineered for purification

Thermo Fisher Scientific collaborates with teams to develop custom chromatography resins that address complex purification challenges. Through custom resin and ligand development, we help bridge workflow gaps, refine selectivity, and enhance performance from process design through cGMP production.

Chromatography resources


Access resources that cover chromatography performance, purification strategies, and method development. These resources empower scientists to select and apply chromatography resins from research to cGMP manufacturing.

Let us help you start your purification journey

For Research Use or Further Manufacturing. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.