Applications of site-specific chemical modification in the manufacture of biopharmaceuticals: I. An overview.

The chemical modification of proteins has long been a useful approach to elucidating structure-function relationships. Recently, these same chemistries have been finding application in the preparation of proteins for both diagnostic and therapeutic use. These applications include alterations to introduce new properties, such as improved stability, or new traits, such as drug binding and transport, that take advantage of both broad and narrow ranges of selectivity. Site-specific chemical modification of proteins, when combined with the powerful advantages of site-specific mutagenesis, can yield protein agents superior to those generated by either approach alone.