Bio-Rad Introduces Profinia, a New Automated Affinity-Tagged Protein Purification System

Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., a multinational manufacturer and distributor of life science research and clinical diagnostics products, today announced the introduction of its new Profinia™ protein purification system, an automated low pressure liquid chromatography system designed to enable scientists to perform unattended affinity purification and desalting of recombinant tagged proteins.

Optimizing traditional methods of purification for tagged proteins using spin and gravity kits or low pressure chromatography systems is often challenging. The Profinia system does not require special chromatography training or expertise and offers users greater ease-of-use and convenience. Combined with its automation capability, the Profinia system enables scientists to quickly complete their purification tasks so they can concentrate on their actual protein-based experiments.

“Unlike traditional manual purification such as gravity-flow columns, which can take up to four hours just for the affinity step, the Profinia system’s automated affinity purification and desalting methods can be completed in as little as thirty minutes,” said Eric Larson, Bio‑Rad Life Science Group’s Chromatography Marketing Manager, Laboratory Separations Division.

Filling the need for a system that stands between manual kits for purification and sophisticated instrumentation-based methods of separations, the Profinia system represents an automated and efficient purification solution for scientists currently using manual affinity kits or for those who want to complement their existing chromatography system with an applications-based device.

The Profinia’s large touch screen easily guides the user through method selection and sample loading. Purified protein is automatically collected into a single tube, and protein yield and concentration is calculated and displayed on the screen at the end of the run. The system can also be used with optional Profinia software, which displays purification data in real time and allows for publication-quality report generation.

The Profinia system uses preprogrammed methods for IMAC (native and denaturing), GST, and desalting applications, optimized with prepackaged purification kits, buffers, reagents, and accessories to provide dependable purifications. The quality of results obtained, such as purity and yield are equivalent to gravity flow columns or single column low pressure chromatography systems. The Profinia system was designed for low maintenance, and unlike either of the alternative methods, purification includes automatic desalting, built-in system cleaning and storage of purification cartridges, which allow for less hands-on time. Data records of the method and purification results are available in real time when the Profinia software is connected, or data can be exported upon run completion.