Gel chromatography is widely used in various fields, notably the pharmaceutical industry:
Protein Purification:
Separates proteins by size without denaturing them, crucial for therapeutic protein production.
Molecular Weight Determination:
Using calibration standards, it can estimate the molecular weight of unknown molecules.
Nucleic Acid Separation:
Purifies DNA or RNA fragments and separates them based on size.
Polysaccharide Analysis:
Characterizes carbohydrates, useful in drug formulations or as therapeutic molecules.
Desalting and Buffer Exchange:
Removes salts and small impurities from samples while preserving larger biomolecules.
Drug Delivery Research:
Analyzes nanoparticle size distributions, aiding in understanding and optimizing drug carriers.
Fragmentation Studies:
Examines degradation patterns of large biomolecules into smaller fragments.