[Recombinant plasma proteins for therapeutic use--status and developmental trends]

The enormous progress made in biotechnology and purification of plasma proteins (pp) and the demands to avoid risks of transmitting HIV, hepatitis and other virus infections by these have resulted in the development of numerous recombinant human (rh) pp, which are now about to be used as replacement therapy in transfusion medicine. Human rh albumin has been used in clinical trials last year, a competition to serum albumin can be expected in the next time. During the last decade, the genes or cDNA have been cloned and characterized for all relevant pp involved in blood coagulation. Beside the rh factor VIII (rh FVIII) which has been introduced clinically in 1991, the rh FVIIa is under investigation in patients with hemophilia A and inhibitors. After establishing of rhFIX in triple transgenic mice, the industrial potential will be evaluated in terms of scale up culturing and production. The valuation of advantages and drawbacks of the current rh pp in comparison to conventional pp will have to be determined in the last decade of our century.