SeamlessBio — BSA & Albumin
HSA vs. rHSA — Grade Comparison
Donor-derived or recombinant? This guide compares Human Serum Albumin (HSA) and recombinant HSA (rHSA, in Premium, Economy and CHO-Expressed grades) to help you choose.
Head-to-head comparison
| Parameter | HSA | rHSA (Premium/Economy/CHO) |
|---|---|---|
| Source | Human donor serum/plasma | Recombinant expression (no donor) |
| Donor dependency | Yes — tied to donor pool availability | None |
| Blood-borne pathogen risk | Mitigated by viral testing, but not zero | None — no human-derived material |
| Lot-to-lot consistency | Subject to donor pool variability | Generally more consistent |
| Regulatory positioning | Human-derived, ATMP-relevant | Animal- and donor-free, ATMP-relevant |
| Typical cost | Moderate | Economy: lower; Premium/CHO: higher |
| Best for | Applications requiring human-derived material specifically | Donor-independent, GMP-relevant or cost-sensitive work |
Choose HSA if you need
- Human-derived material specifically — for protocols or regulatory pathways requiring serum/plasma-derived albumin.
- Established donor-derived supply — where your protocol has already been validated with donor-derived HSA.
Choose rHSA if you need
- No donor dependency — eliminates donor-pool variability and blood-borne pathogen risk entirely.
- GMP-relevant consistency — rHSA Premium for the tightest specification.
- Cost-effective animal-free albumin — rHSA Economy for routine research.
- Mammalian expression profile — rHSA CHO-Expressed where this is specifically required.
Still not sure which albumin grade fits?
Contact our team with your application details — we'll help you choose the right grade.
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