Grant: Applied Research and Development Grants - Level 1

Polyclonal immunoglobulin Y, IgY, antibodies are the major class of antibodies in chickens. The passive oral administration of IgY antibodies in mammals combat specific gastrointestinal infections by preventing the adhesion of pathogenic micro-organisms to the intestines. Eggs from chickens are a rich source of IgY and the isolation of IgY from eggs have many advantages over conventional antibodies isolated from the blood of animals. The advantages are that: (1) the collection of eggs is non-invasive as opposed to bleeding the animal, (2) large amounts of IgY can be produced repeatedly through the egg laying cycle, and (3) a stronger immune response against mammalian antigens is achieved as a result of the evolutionary phylogenic distance between mammals and birds. Typical methods employed for the extraction of IgY from eggs include organic-aqueous extraction, precipitation of IgY, ultracentrifugation, ultrafiltraton, affinity chromatography and combinations thereof. The vast majority of IgY extraction methods rely on the use of organic solvents and related reagents which are not biocompatible and limit the application for human purposes. Alternative IgY isolation methods either suffer from low extraction yields because of protein denaturation or are difficult to scale. The present proposal by AXXARYS Corp, a company specialized in the production of active ingredients for nutraceuticals, aims to develop and optimize the sequential extraction of IgY from egg yolks using biocompatible aqueous two phase system (ATPS) for extraction and SFE (supercritical fluid extraction). ATPS or ATPE (aqueous two-phase extraction) is a liquid-liquid extraction method which involves the partitioning of the aqueous solution into two immiscible phases by the in-situ addition of substances such as polymers and salts to the aqueous solution. The ATPE/ATPS is a well-known gentle method for the separation and purification of proteins and antibodies. The advantages of the method include high capacity, phase volume reduction, rapid separation and easy scale-up.