Ionic liquids for biomacromolecule purification: from molecular interactions to practical applications.

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry and Chemical Engineering
• Bioseparations and Bioprocessing

Background:

• Biotherapeutics rely on proteins and nucleic acids, but their purification is complex due to structural issues and impurities.
• Current purification methods struggle with high-fidelity impurities and structural complexities of biomacromolecules.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the mechanisms of biomacromolecule-ionic liquid (IL) interactions.
• To explore ILs as designer solvents for selective biomacromolecule purification.
• To discuss IL integration into separation platforms for biotherapeutics.

Main Methods:

• Systematic examination of cation-anion interactions between ILs and biomacromolecules.
• Analysis of how IL properties influence binding modes and strengths.
• Review of IL applications in extraction, chromatography, and membrane-based separations.

Main Results:

• ILs enable selective and reversible interactions, discriminating against impurities.
• Engineered ILs achieve high recovery rates, e.g., >95% for IgG extraction and >90% for RNA separation.
• ILs demonstrate superior performance in protein and nucleic acid purification.

Conclusions:

• ILs offer a versatile platform for rational design of biomacromolecule purification processes.
• Further research can expand IL applications across the entire biomanufacturing framework.
• Next-generation IL-based systems can address the complexities of emerging biotherapeutics.