| abstract |
Recombinant transferrin, non-glycosylated recombinant transferrin, transferrin half-molecules and mutant transferrins having altered metal-binding or other properties are described. The recombinant transferrin molecules are expressed in functional form by stable eukaryotic cell lines such as baby hamster kidney cells transformed with an expression vector encoding the recombinant molecule. The recombinant transferrins can be used in metal chelation therapy to bind and clear excess toxic metals in patients suffering from metal overloads or as tissue culture medium supplements or replacements. |