Biotechnology of plasma proteins. Fractionation and applications

Without discussing all of the current problems of industrial plasma fractionation, this INSERM International Symposium emphasized the importance of the technological progress of the last ten years. Although Cohn's classical technique of alcohol precipitation is still the most widely used, new techniques are rapidly being developed based on more selective methods with high extraction yields. However, it is certain that, given the growth in biotechnologies with the industrial applications of genetic engineering and cellular engineering, various problems will eventually be raised concerning plasma fractionation. It is probable that in the relatively near future certain fractions such as F VIII will no longer be prepared from plasma; but can the other fractions be reasonably replaced in the foreseeable future? Furthermore, the problems of purification will always be the crux of the development of biotechnologies. The technical committee of the OECD has recently drawn the attention of European governments to the considerable importance for the future of bioindustries of 'downstream processings' and the need to develop research on methods of extraction and purification. Human plasma is certainly the ideal model for the development of new methods of protein purification which could subsequently be applied to other industrial fields such as cellular engineering or genetic engineering. European countries definitely have an edge in this field as a result of their industries and fractionation centers.