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Protein Purification |
Protein purification is the process of isolating a specific protein of interest from a complex mixture of proteins, cells, or tissues. To target a protein, researchers use properties such as solubility, size, charge, and/or binding affinity, to separate it from other components. Find the right tools for your workflow from our broad selection of resins and formats for the purification of proteins and antibodies or create a customized purification solution by covalent attachment of a ligand to one of our activated supports.
Our prepared and activated magnetic beads, magnetic agarose beads, standard and Superflow agarose resins, POROS resins, and other chromatography media enable protein purification at nearly any scale: screening, batch, pilot, or process. We’ve developed a range of accessory products for all aspects of purification, including disposable columns, binding and elution buffers, and endotoxin quantitation, detection, and removal products.
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Protein purification methods
Protein purification methods include using affinity chromatography, ion exchange chromatography, size exclusion chromatography, and hydrophobic interaction chromatography. Each method leverages different properties of proteins such as size, charge, hydrophobicity, and affinity for specific ligands. The goal of protein purification is to obtain a sample with high purity and activity, free from contaminants that could interfere with downstream analyses or applications. Strategies for protein purification:
Ion exchange purification
We offer strong cation exchange (SCX) and strong anion exchange (SAX) resins and membranes. Our ion exchange (IEX) resins are rigid polymeric beads with covalent surface chemistries, which enable easier handling and packing while offering superior physical and chemical stability.
Antibody purification
Resins containing immobilized ligands Protein A, Protein G, Protein A/G, and Protein L are used for antibody purification. We offer multiple formats and pack sizes of these protein immobilized resins that have specific affinity to immunoglobulins, allowing purification of all antibodies of a particular target class regardless of antigen specificity.
Recombinant protein purification
We offer a broad range affinity purification products designed for the purification of recombinant proteins—specifically cobalt and nickel ion-metal affinity chromatography (IMAC) resins for His-tagged proteins and immobilized glutathione resins for GST-tagged proteins. Resins for purification of proteins with c-myc, DYKDDDDK (FLAG), and HA epitope tags are also available.
Biotin affinity purification
The strong association between avidin and biotin has been successfully employed in various affinity purification schemes. We offer a variety of immobilized biotin binding supports, including avidin, streptavidin, NeutrAvidin protein, and monomeric avidin resins.
Purification using magnetic agarose
Our magnetic agarose resins offer the high binding capacity of agarose combined with the automation capabilities of magnetic beads. We offer a variety of ligands, including Protein A/G, Ni-NTA, glutathione, and anti-FLAG, that can enable the high-throughput purification of recombinant proteins and antibodies.
Protein immobilization
We’ve developed activated supports for the immobilization of proteins and other molecules for target-specific affinity purification. The functional groups on the resins utilize a range of coupling mechanisms for immobilizing amine-, sulfhydryl-, carbonyl-, and carboxyl-based targets.
Immunoprecipitation
We offer kits in a range of formats for various immunoprecipitation (IP) and co-immunoprecipitation (co-IP) strategies, as well as products for capturing protein-nucleic acid interactions (ChIP and RIP) and solutions for enriching recombinant or modified proteins (pull-down assays).
Protein enrichment
Protein enrichment strategies involve the selective isolation of protein subclasses sharing a common post-translational modification (PTM), such as phosphorylation and glycosylation, typically via affinity ligands such as ion-metal affinity chromatography (IMAC) or immobilized lectins.
Large-scale process chromatography
When you need high performance and high throughput on a large scale, POROS bulk chromatography resins are the industry standard for process-scale bioseparations.
Features of our protein purification resins
Resins for protein purification include ion exchange resins, affinity resins, size exclusion resins, and hydrophobic interaction resins. Ion exchange resins separate proteins based on their charge, affinity resins use specific binding interactions between the protein and ligand, size exclusion resins separate based on molecular size, and hydrophobic interaction resins isolate proteins based on their hydrophobicity.
- Broad product selection—prepared affinity and ion exchange supports for the purification and enrichment of proteins and antibodies, as well as activated supports for custom ligand immobilization
- More formats—magnetic beads, 96-well spin plates, loose resins, spin columns and kits, and FPLC cartridges to facilitate screening and other small-scale experiments, as well as process-scale purification
- High performance—resins designed to help increase protein yield and reduce background
Choose the right resin-based protein purification technique
| Ion exchange purification | Antibody purification | Fusion protein purification | Biotin affinity purification | Protein immobilization | |
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| Base support | POROS resin |
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| Formats | Loose resin |
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Endotoxin contamination is a common problem during protein purification. Learn more about our endotoxin quantitation, detection, and removal products.
Protein purification accessories
We offer a comprehensive range of protein purification accessories that cater to various laboratory needs. Our portfolio includes disposable plastic columns and buffer formulations designed to be convenient, streamline your workflows, and enhance sample processing.
Disposable gravity and spin columns
Our disposable gravity and spin columns are designed for efficient small-scale protein purification, helping provide flexibility and ease of use.
Protein modification buffers
Protein modification buffers are pre-formulated to facilitate protein immobilization, modification, and other biochemical applications.
Blocking and wash buffers for western blotting and ELISA
Our blocking and wash buffers for western blotting and ELISA help ensure optimal assay performance by minimizing background noise and enhancing signal clarity.
Protein electrophoresis buffers
Protein electrophoresis buffers are precisely formulated to support accurate and reproducible separation of proteins during electrophoresis.
Applications of protein purification
Protein purification is essential for producing high-quality proteins that power discovery, development, and therapeutic innovation. Explore how purified proteins enable precision, reproducibility, and confidence across various life science applications.
Structural biology
Reveal the structure-function relationships of biomolecules with purified proteins optimized for integrative structural biology techniques such as cryo-EM, X-ray crystallography, and NMR.
Discover tools and workflows that help you achieve high-resolution structural insights
Recombinant protein expression systems
From research to production, protein purification helps ensures consistency and functionality across recombinant expression systems in multiple host platforms.
Therapeutic antibody engineering
High-purity proteins are critical for designing, optimizing, and verifying therapeutic antibodies throughout development.
See how advanced antibody engineering services support fast, more confident biologic development
Interested in endotoxin quantitation and removal?
Detect bacterial endotoxin with certainty using our Pierce Rapid Gel Clot Endotoxin assays. Measure endotoxin levels as low as 0.1 EU/mL in just 20 minutes with our Chromogenic Endotoxin Quantitation Kit. Reduce endotoxin levels up to 99% in less than one hour using our Pierce High Capacity Endotoxin Removal Spin Columns, with protein recovery ≥85%.
Related categories
Mini- and microcentrifuges to accelerate your protein preparation protocols with RCFs up to 21,000 x g in compact, safe, easy-to-use instruments.
Designed for solid performance and consistent results, our benchtop centrifuges help deliver efficient sample processing for your protein purification and isolation applications.
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