Advances in aqueous biphasic systems for biotechnology applications

Abstract

Amongst the several processes investigated in the Biotechnology field, aqueous biphasic systems (ABSs) have been a target of relevant research, particularly in the downstream processing of high-value compounds of biological nature and, more recently, in emerging applications such as in the development of artificial cells and synthetic biology, micropatterning and 3D printing, and sample pretreatment and diagnosis. This review overviews and discusses the recent progress achieved in downstream processes using ABSs, namely by the development of integrated and continuous processes, and in emerging applications where ABSs seem to have strong potential, namely in cellular micropatterning and 3D printing, and in the pretreatment of biological samples to improve diagnosis. Advantages and bottlenecks of ABSs in all these applications are provided and discussed.