Agarose-based chromatography beads were first introduced by Stellan Hjertén in 1962.[1] Fifty years later, beaded agarose has become the dominant resin for protein purification and is extensively used, ranging from research-scale in sub mL volumes to full-scale manufacturing in > 500 L chromatography columns. Recent resin development work has focused on increasing capacity and selectivity through different grafting technologies and ligand developments. Purolite is using new technologies to develop beaded agarose with particle sizes from 40-100 µm with improved pressure flow properties and a porosity structure optimized for protein chromatography. Our work shows that it is possible to design and produce homogeneous agarose resins for large-scale manufacturing, with significantly improved pressure/flow properties, capacity, and resolution compared to what is commercially available today. A set of novel agarose-based ion exchangers have been characterized, and initial application data is available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]