【正文】
ularly reflected by the general absence of coverage of this subject in many biotechnology and related courses in educational institutions. ? For a considerable while I have felt that there is increasing need for an introductory text to various aspects of downstream processing, particularly with respect to the needs of the biopharmaceutical and biotechnology industry. Although there are numerous texts that cover various aspects of protein purification techniques in isolation, there is a need for a work that covers the broad range of isolation technology in an industrial setting. ? It is anticipated that Downstream Processing of Proteins: Methods and Protocols will play a small part in filling this gap and thus prove a useful contribution to the field. It is also designed to encourage educational strategists to broaden the coverage of these topics in industrial biotechnology courses by including accounts of this important and rapidly developing element of the industrial process. ? The hope is that this will result in graduates having a reasonable understanding of downstream processing principles and techniques, and thus be better prepared to fulfill the everincreasing demand for petent isolation scientists in industries. ? This is, of course, achieved with the help of the dedicated contributing authors of Downstream Processing of Proteins: Methods and Protocols, wit