What is affinity purification?

Affinity purification is a laboratory technique used for purifying a target protein or protein complex from a biochemical mixture. In this process, the protein of interest is purified from the sample based on its specific binding properties to an immobilized ligand. This protein purification process is also called affinity chromatography.

Considered to be the most selective of all protein purification techniques, affinity chromatography works unlike any other chromatography-based method. This technique works to purify the target protein by leveraging certain molecular properties and specific binding interactions between molecules.

Affinity chromatography gives the purest results and is often used in completing the protein purification process. It can be used in a wide range of applications including purification of recombinant proteins, purification of antibodies from blood serum, serum-albumin purification, immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography (IMAC), dye-ligand affinity chromatography, and more.