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For biologics, such as vaccines and blood products, proteins are the critical components. Proteins are the biologically active ingredients that allow the product to work, just as acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) is the active ingredient in Aspirin®. To evaluate the quality of a biologic product (for example, to correctly identify quantities of active ingredients as well as impurities), samples containing small sets of compounds as well as complex biologics, such as vaccines, must be characterized. Large sets of proteins present in blood or tissue must also be studied to provide insight into health determinants for the whole organism. For example, normal versus abnormal levels of a set of proteins that are responsible for a specific function are reflective of a disease or adverse reaction.
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