The study of proteins has been concerned mainly with their properties
and functions in living organisms. Only during the last few decades has a
start been made in applying the vast amount of information that has accumulated
in this field to the development of methods for the use of proteins
out of their biological context to fulfill human needs.
The conference on biotechnological applications of proteins and enzymes
was convened to honor Ephraim Katchalski-Katzir, one of the pioneers of
this approach, on the occasion of his sixtieth birthday. It was clear to the
organizing committee that it would not be possible to review all applications
of proteins in industry, medicine, and nutrition. The program was therefore
limited to the developments which are already in practical use or not far
from this stage. At the conference an attempt was made to present not only
the theoretical basis for these developments, but also to point out the
technological and economic constraints within which various applications
have to operate.