METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR IN VITRO PROTEIN FOLDING.

摘要

A method of recovering a refolded protein involves static mixing a concentrated solution of a denatured protein with a refolding diluent to obtain the refolded protein. The method is particularly suitable for microbially produced recombinant proteins in large processing volumes. The denatured protein solution can be obtained by isolating protein from the microbial host and exposing them to a denaturant. This solution is mixed with a suitable refolding diluent under static mixing conditions compatible with proper folding of the protein so that the refolded protein is obtained, preferably rapidly and with high yield. A system for implementing the refolded protein recovery method includes a static mixer, a conduit inline with and upstream from the static mixer, and an inlet to the conduit upstream of the static mixer, and optionally a dynamic, preferably non-turbulent, mixing vessel downstream from the static mixer. The invention finds particular use in large scale production of proteins, particularly recombinant proteins.