Plasma Fractionation: Unlocking the Therapeutic Potential of Blood Plasma
Plasma fractionation is a cornerstone of modern medicine, providing life-saving therapies for patients with a variety of chronic and acute conditions. This sophisticated process involves separating human blood plasma into its individual components to produce high-purity therapeutic proteins. With advancements in biotechnology and a growing demand for plasma-derived therapies, plasma fractionation has become a critical area of focus for the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries.
Understanding Plasma Fractionation
Blood plasma is the liquid portion of blood, rich in proteins such as albumin, immunoglobulins (antibodies), clotting factors, and enzymes. Plasma fractionation is the process of isolating these components for medical use. Each plasma-derived product serves a specific therapeutic purpose, addressing conditions that cannot be effectively treated with conventional drugs.
The process was first developed in the 1940s using the Cohn method, which employed cold ethanol precipitation to separate plasma proteins. Today, plasma fractionation…