Plasma fractionation refers to a process that extracts secrets and purifies the proteins from the human plasma. Plasma is a component of blood, which is considered a source of various proteins. Plasma fractionation helps in making products from secreted and purified plasma for various therapies and medication procedures.

The proteins present in the plasma are divided into immunoglobulins, albumins and clotting factors. These 3 components help in various medical procedures and therapies. The plasma fractionation mostly depends on different aspects like the solubility of the products, the physical and chemical condition of the product.

The modern-day therapies and advancements in the medical procedure are inculcating plasma therapies to treat a wide range of diseases. The global COVID-19 pandemic has also increased demand for plasma as plasma therapy is adopted by doctors to treat COVID-19 patients.

Usages of the plasma fractionation

Fractionation is basically a process of separating different components of a mixture. In addition, plasma fractionation helps in separating the fluid part of the blood into different components like plasma, which is further used in various medical procedures.

Immunoglobulins part of plasma helps in curing different autoimmune diseases and enhances immune reaction. The clotting factor part of plasma is helpful in curing different types of blood diseases like haemophilia. The albumins part of plasma help in case of low albumin level or fluid loss.

The outbreak of the global COVID-19 pandemic has affected every part of society. Many researchers and doctors suggested using plasma therapy for serious COVID-19 patients. Earlier, it is one of the most effective medical procedures given to a COVID-19 patient.

The increasing demand for plasma during the pandemic has surged the demand for plasma fractionation. It is due to the fact that plasma fractionation actually helps in separating plasma from blood and hence makes it available for further use.

Process of plasma fractionation

The process of plasma fractionation is majorly dependent on different aspects like solubility of the product and the physical and chemical condition like PH level, temperature etc. the extracted plasma component is called Fresh Frozen Plasma.

This Fresh Frozen Plasma underwent various physical and mechanical treatments like chromatography centrifugation, heat treatment, nanofiltration, sterile filtration and many more. It assists in achieving homogeneity of the plasma that is extracted from various donors. In addition, these processes lower down the risk of viral transmission from donor to the receiver.

It is important to filter the donated plasma as it may have some harmful virus and bacteria that are important to get inactive. After all these processes of filtration, the plasma gets homogeneous and ready for further steps of treatment.

Various components of plasma are useful in treating extreme blood loss during the surgical procedure and other immune deficiencies. The immunoglobulins are used to treat autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.

Factors affecting the usage of plasma

The usage of plasma is increasing across the world due to various factors which we will be mentioning below:

• The increasing population of old age people is demanding more plasma as they are receiving plasma protein therapeutics due to many age-related diseases.
• The global COVID-19 pandemic is also contributing to the increasing usage of plasma therapy to treat many serious cases of COVID-19 patients.
• The increasing cases of debilitating neurological disorders, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid that require plasma therapy for treatment.
• The usage of immunoglobulins and Alpha one antitrypsin in various domains of medicines will increase the demand for plasma and hence plasma fractionation.

To conclude

The process of filtering and separating plasma from the blood is known as plasma fractionation. It is high in demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic as plasma therapy is one of the ways to cure patients with coronavirus. Plasma proteins are very helpful in curing various kinds of diseases and hence surging the demand for plasma fractionation in the market.

The plasma fractionation market will witness a surge due to the factors like increasing usage of immunoglobulins in various therapeutic domains, growing rates of bleeding diseases and the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic. The high adoption of plasma in various medical procedure & medication will also surge the growth of the plasma fractionation market.

However, factors like the advent of recombinant alternatives and the huge cost involved in plasma will hamper the growth of the market.