Albumin is traditionally obtained from the blood plasma of humans or other animals, such as bovines. The conventional process involves fractionation, a method where blood plasma is separated into its different components, including albumin, through various physical and chemical methods. Blood is collected from donors, and cellular components are removed to obtain plasma, the liquid part of the blood that contains the proteins. The albumin is then purified using the method developed by Edwin J. Cohn during World War II, involving cold ethanol fractionation, centrifugation and filtration, chromatography and viral reduction.
The benefits of obtaining recombinant albumin from yeast include safety, consistency, ethical considerations, sustainability, scalability and stability. Compared to human and animal-derived albumins, recombinant albumin from yeast completely eliminates the risk of transmitting blood-borne pathogens and the potential for contamination with viruses or prions. The biopharmaceutical manufacturing processes can be operated at any scale to give a much more consistent product, which is better defined, without animal welfare issues or reliance on blood donors. The recombinant albumins from yeast also have extremely high stability, with a refrigerated shelf life of over five years.
Read more about how all albumin is not equal.
