Studies with chimeric protein purification methods.

The development of Immobilised Metal Affinity Chromatography (IMAC) over the last thirty years has widely advanced the efficiency of protein purification in biochemical research. IMAC is one of a new category of protein separation techniques that offer the freedom to pre-establish an affinity between target protein and sorbent by the use of genetically-fused affinity handles or tags. Using IMAC, recombinant DNA techniques are employed to tag a target protein with an engineered peptide rich in amino acids having the potential to form covalent coordination bonds with metal ions chelated by ligands bound to a chromatography sorbent.