Purification of biologicals requires technologies capable to deal with:

        high viscosity and solids content
        large processing volume
        variety of impurities
        low product concentration
        macromolecular and particulate product
        pharmaceutical grade production

Existing technologies are based on a matrix or bed of spherical solid support
particles contained within a column operated in different modes (packed,
fluidised or expanded bed).

Major drawbacks of these processing technologies include:

        column blockage due to solids entrapment
        support particles leakage to the product
        low productivity related to applicable flow velocity
        reduced resolution and concentration capacity
        scale limitations due to operational parameters
        troublesome application