# Methacrylate Polymer Monoliths for Separation Applications
## 3 Applications of Methacrylate Polymer Monoliths in Separation Science
### Biological Separations and DNA Purification  
Biomolecules that have been separated with methacrylate monoliths include genetic material (DNA, RNA, viral plasmids) as well as amino acids, proteins and peptides. Albumin mixtures are commonly separated or extracted using methacrylate monoliths as the stationary phase and these mixtures are often composed of Human Serum Albumin (HSA), conAlbumin (conA), Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA), and Ovalbumin [44; 53; 135; 136; 137; 138]. Since these albumins are from different sources, and would not normally be found _in vivo_ together, they are not necessarily a good example of a typical, naturally occurring protein mixture. However, their separation can be used to give an indication of the performance of the chromatographic system under investigation. Abnormal levels of serum albumins in the blood can indicate or lead to various medical conditions and therefore it is important to understand the interaction of albumin proteins with drug molecules and other biomolecules present in blood plasma in terms of binding mechanisms and kinetics, and how abnormal levels of albumins lead to the onset of disease. For this, it is necessary to be able to test for albumins and to be able to prepare purified samples from blood plasma matrices in order to measure their concentration successfully. As with some chemical species, albumins and other biomolecules are often present in complex matrices and at low concentrations, which requires pre-concentration of the sample via SPE. Plasmids are small circular, double stranded DNA molecules that are typically found in bacterial cells. They are separate from the bacterial cells own chromosomal genetic material and can replicate independently from the bacterial cell. Plasmids are known to impart some additional functions to bacterial cells, for example resistance to antibiotics or sterilization treatments. In addition they are also used by biopharmaceutical companies as vectors to induce bacterial cells to produce a drug or other molecule, which the cell would not normally produce due to absence in its own genetic code of the ability to synthesize the molecule. Understanding plasmids is of critical importance for the biopharma industry and the development of new antibiotics in particular, as bacterial strains are becoming increasingly resistant to current antibiotic therapies, even some which have been extremely effective in the past [139]. The separation and purification of peptides is extremely important as peptides can be used to model the interactions of drugs with proteins or antibodies and therefore guide drug development. Antimicrobial peptides are becoming an attractive alternative to antibiotics and are produced by bacteria under carefully controlled culture conditions, however the amounts secreted are small and must also be purified and concentrated. Proteomics research also requires pure samples of peptides and proteins. The analysis of these samples can lead to the identification of disease biomarkers, which can then lead to targeted therapeutics. The analysis of DNA and RNA yields information about mutations in the genetic code of a patient, which may be identifiable biomarkers for diseases such as cancer. Investigations into the genetic structure of micro-organisms are also extremely important in order to develop strategies to eradicate the pathogenic strains and, as with plasmids, it is important to understand their interactions with each other and with biomolecules and pharmaceutical therapies. Polymer monoliths have always been considered more suited to the separation of large or biomolecular species, an assumption which is being increasingly challenged by various groups in recent years, as seen in the previous sections of this article. Nevertheless, the bulk of reports involving methacrylate monolithic stationary phases have investigated the separation and purification of biological species such as amino acids, nucleic acids, proteins, DNA, plasmids and viruses.