Understanding the molecular interactions between ionic liquids and biopharmaceuticals: the key for a proper design of downstream processing

Abstract

Pharmaceutical industry have been developing more sustainable, biocompatible and efficient biopharmaceuticals separation and purification technologies. Thus, and in a context where sustainable processes and ecological transition is promoted in many developed countries, Aqueous Two-Phase Systems (ATPS) composed of Ionic Liquids (ILs) have appeared in the past years to be a breakthrough technique for the bioproduct separation and extraction from complex media. Many data are available for the extraction of bioproducts using IL-based ATPS. Nevertheless, there is hardly any understanding of the extraction and separation mechanisms governing the solutes partitioning using these systems, particularly, due to the complex IL-protein interactions. Solvent-protein interactions are extremely important to control, maintain or enhance the protein stability and activity, and thus, a proper choice of the IL used as solvent is the key for designing suitable separation or biocatalytic processes. The main goals of the present joint proposal are to 1) characterize, reveal and understand the main interactions that occur at a molecular level in aqueous solutions of ILs and proteins, and 2) use this knowledge to develop stable IL- based platforms for the recovery of biopharmaceuticals. (AU)