ABSTRACT
Separation of single biomolecules, involving DNA, RNA, and proteins, plays a crucial role that provides detailed insights into the structural transitions in nucleic acids and binding interactions as well as the single-cell proteomics. Therefore, high-efficiency separation methods to be applicable for single molecules are emerged in biomedical research and diagnosis. For example, an improved separation and/or purification of monoclonal antibodies and therapeutic enzymes could help save up to 90% of total research costs in pharmacies. In decades, tremendous improvements are present to address the above issue by incorporating with techniques, including aqueous two-phase systems (ATPS), capillary electrophoresis (CE), chromatography, protein crystallization, hydrodynamics and/or electrohydrodynamics-based technology, and microfluidics/nanofluidics-based devices. In this chapter, we aim at discussing the overall view of current techniques for single-molecule separation. A brief outlook on the challenge and prospect of these techniques is also given along with this chapter.
