Applications of Ion Exchange Resins in Protein Separation and Purification

The advances in therapeutics based on biological macromolecules and their pharmaceutical market have stimulated the development of separation and purification techniques like ion-exchange chromatography (IEC). In this regard, the effectiveness of biological therapies depends on high-purity protein fractions. Although, there are a few differences in each protein batch due to the amplification method or the degradation effect, which cause undesirable effects on patients. In this sense, the implementation of a reliable method like IEC is fundamental, and in recent years it has been adopted as a reference technique for protein separation and purification. Therefore, this chapter details the modification of resins to improve their sensitivity and the analysis and adjustment of variables to perform a successful protein separation by IEC.