Isolation of cu -Antitrypsin in a New Preparative Electrophoresis Apparatus

The construction and operation of an apparatus is described which enables α-antitrypsin to be isolated from human serum by preparative electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gel. The initial pass through the chamber yields a fraction that is predominantly albumin and several α₁-proteins. After removal of albumin by affinity chromatography, a second pass through the chamber separates the individual α₁-proteins. A volume of 50 ml of serum may be accommodated by the chamber, and the recovery of activity in each step is greater than 60%. The entire procedure may be completed in 36 hrs.