Novel media for chromatography and immobilization using a radiation grafting technique

Radiation grafting onto polyamide and poly(vinyl alcohol) was performed using different vinyl monomers. This grafting technique permits the synthesis of carrier media with a wide range of physical and chemical properties. A number of immobilization tests with antibodies and enzymes e.g., penicillin acylase, glucose isomerase and formate dehydrogenase, are described, exhibiting binding capacities which are distinctly higher than those achieved with commercial media. The epoxy- and isocyanate-activated grafted copolymers were used for the affinity chromatographic separation of insulin, factor VIII and human serum albumin using antibodies as affinity ligands. The radiation-modified media allow a high antibody coupling, thus overcoming drawbacks of currently available commercial media. The separation of blood group antibodies can be performed by using novel antibody-specific oligosaccharide ligands, which permit a much more specific separation than protein G coupled media.