The term \”albumin\” refers, in general, to proteins that are soluble in water. Such proteins are found in various human and animal tissues, including egg whites (the word itself, in fact, is Latin for \”white\”). rAlbumin (a recombinant form of it) is now being produced by Delta Biotechnology from yeast; and the European Medicine Agency (EMEA) has approved of a childhood vaccine produced by that company, that contains recombinant human albumin (Recombumin), so that Sanofi Pasteur, the largest exclusively- vaccine company, can now market the drug. This is the only alternative to human serum albumin (HSA) that does not contain any animal material whatsoever- and a major disadvantage of HSA, or anything containing animal products, is the risk of viruses.

That having been said, Novozomes Biopharma is developing new products to make drug delivery that is based on a- fusion, rAlbumin, and hyaluronic acid, easier. (Hyaluronic acid is a polymer of disaccharides that plays a role in skin tissue repair.) A major benefit of recombinant drugs is a reduction in the number of side effects due to the fact that binding takes place exclusively at specific sites, as well as that even at low concentrations, they remain effective.

1) Some applications involving recombinant human albumin

a) Albucult
Albucult is used for drug, vaccine, and device manufacturing. Its purity profile is exceptional, it can be stored and shipped in liquid form, and it remains secure even in large quantities. And for consistency and compliance with regulations, it has cGMP (current Good Manufacturing Practice). Albucult may be used in drug manufacturing for extending the half life of peptides; for drug delivery; and for microparticle- based drugs; and also as a coating for medical devices or an ingredient in IVF.

b) CellprimeTM rAlbumin AF
This product provides \”all of albumin\’s benefits and none of the risks.\” It comes in two varieties- AF- G, which is used for cell culture (improving the performance thereof) and research, and AF- S, a form designed for therapeutic and specialized stem cell cultures.

c) Recombumin
Recombumin is used in the M- M- R™ II childhood vaccine mentioned in the first paragraph of this article. It has the same half life as peptides. It has also been used as an ingredient in making drugs, as well as in their targeting and delivery.

2) Studies and experiments involving these new technologies
Scientists have performed various experiments on recombinant human albumin that have proven its effectiveness in preventing the aggregation of antigens such as MSP- 2. The method by which it does so is not yet well understood, but the substance is also known to act as an antioxidant. Oxidation, especially when it occurs during storage, can cause drastic changes in protein- based drugs. In addition, Recombumin reduces \”nonspecific adsorption,\” which can lower the concentration of the protein and so reduce the drug\’s effectiveness. Finally, Recombumin can serve as a \”multipurpose exipient,\” thus reducing the total number of exipients required.

The diseases against which vaccines produced using Recombumin have proven efficacious include measles, mumps, and rubella (also known as \”German measles\”)- the aforementioned drug will combat all three, hence the name M- M- R™ II.

Author Bio: Jenny Hall publishes passionately about everything science and pharmaceuticals. She is really viewed as a qualified consultant on scientific topics like human recombinant albumin (ralbumin) and the roles of albumin in stabilising formulations and manufacturing devices. Please visit http://www.biopharma.novozymes.com for more info on albumin and recombinant albumin uses in science.

Category: Medical Business
Keywords: science,albumin,ralbumin,medical devices,biopharma,stabilising formulation