Agarose-based chromatography beads were first introduced by Stellan Hjertén in 1962. 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.