What is affinity purification?

Affinity purification is a biochemical technique used to purify a target molecule from a mixture, based on a highly specific binding interaction between the target and a ligand immobilized on a solid support. It is commonly used for purifying proteins, antibodies, and nucleic acids by selectively binding them to specific ligands, such as antigens, enzymes, or specific DNA sequences, and subsequently eluting the purified target.