Because of their complexity, the new generation of genetically engineered protein drugs can only be made by biotechnological methods, using cultures of animal cells. This book covers all aspects of the technologies needed to turn animal cells into an acceptable and cost-effective tool for drug production. This includes modifying them genetically so that they produce the right product in high yield, getting them to grow reproducibly on an industrial scale, and extracting the required product from them. It also covers biological safety issues, and the verification of the chemical and biological nature of the protein drug produced. The work covers developments in all of these areas and how they all need to be integrated for the design of an effective biotechnological production process. It therefore provides a comprehensive guide to this area of biotechnology.

This volume provides a thorough account of the structure and synthesis of microbial exopolysaccharides and of their widespread application across a broad range of industries, including food, oil and medicine. The successful exploitation of these polysaccharides requires a sound scientific understanding of their chemical and physical properties and also their biochemistry and biosynthesis; this volume covers all these aspects in a concise and coherent way. Interest in these polysaccharides has been fuelled by their increasing use in food, in the oil industry and in medicine. The author provides an account of all these areas as well as looking further ahead to speculate how their unique properties might be harnessed for future products and processes.

Monoclonal antibodies are one of the most exciting developments in biotechnology in recent years; this book provides a comprehensive description of principles, methodologies and applications of this powerful technology to modern science and industry. The immune system of the body, in particular the role of antibodies, is described; and details provided on the isolation of antibody-producing cells, how hybridomas are formed and maintained in culture such that the required antibody can be produced to a very high degree of purity. The material is presented in such a way that students, researchers and managers in research and development will be able to make choices as to which are the most suitable techniques for their particular requirements. The text is comprehensively referenced and, in short, the book is a necessary resource for all those who have the need to be involved in the production of monoclonal antibodies from hybridoma cells in culture.

Process development in antibiotic fermentation is of microbiological and commercial importance and this book gives a consistent treatment of the area. It is divided into three parts: the first deals with the scientific background to the subject, the second with process development in the laboratory and the third with industrial fermentation plants and pilot plants. The discussion shows how problems change as processes are scaled up and yields increase. The book is written from a practical angle and examples of development work are given to support the background information. It will be particularly useful to students of applied microbiology and to those postgraduate microbiologists who are widening their experience with the development of antibiotic fermentations in relation to the production plant, both as a lecturer and as an industrial consultant and he has made use of his wide knowledge of all these areas in this book.