An MILP Model for Optimal Design of Purification Tags and Synthesis of Downstream Processing

Downstream protein processing in biochemical production plants can be improved significantly with the use of peptide purification tags: comparatively short sequences of amino acids fused onto the product protein, which modify the physical properties of the desired product in a way that enhances its separation from contaminants. A two-step MINLP framework that integrates the selection of optimal peptide tags with the synthesis of downstream processing has previously been developed by the authors. The objective of this work is to transform this framework to a simpler MILP model. The methodology is validated by an illustrative example based on experimental data.