Immobilization of trypsin onto “molded” macroporous poly(glycidyl methacrylate-co-ethylene dimethacrylate) rods and use of the conjugates as bioreactors and for affinity chromatography

Trypsin immobilization onto continuous "molded" rods of porous poly(glycidyl methacrylate-co-ethylene dimethacrylate) and some applications of the conjugate have been studied. The rods polymerized within a tubular mold (chromatographic column), were treated in situ with ethylenediamine, activated with glutaraldehyde and finally modified with trypsin. The performance of the trypsin-modified rods was evaluated and compared to that of poly(glycidyl methacrylate-co-ethylene dimethacrylate) beads, modified with the same enzyme. Overall the enzyme-modified rods performed substantially better than the corresponding beads. In particular, the performance of the molded supports as enzymatic reactors or as chromatographic media benefits greatly from the enhanced mass transfer that is characteristic of the molded rod at high flow rates. (c) 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.