Biotech Nuclera has entered into a collaboration with Cytiva to accelerate the production, purification and characterisation of proteins.
By combining Nuclera's eProtein Discovery System with Cytiva's Biacore surface plasmon resonance (SPR) technology, the two will optimise the drug R&D process by effectively characterising proteins and their molecular interactions.
This collaboration will facilitate the rapid progression from DNA to purified and characterised protein — facilitating insights into drug-target interactions.
Proteins currently represent 95% of drug targets, and rapid access to them and how they can interact with drug candidates is essential in the development process.
Although it generally takes months to obtain and characterise proteins, Nuclera and Cytiva have achieved production and characterisation within five days through this collaboration.
This achievement was showcased at industry conferences Discovery on Target and PEGS Europe, where Nuclera’s eProtein Discovery System was used to produce Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase (BTK) and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF).
These proteins were subsequently functionally characterized using Cytiva’s Biacore SPR system.
“Collaborating with life science leader Cytiva supports Nuclera in our mission of improving human health," noted Dr Yvonne Tan, Associate Director of Product Management, Nuclera.
"Through this collaboration, we have demonstrated eProtein Discovery’s ability to produce clinically significant proteins that can be used in characterisation experiments. Combining eProtein Discovery’s capability to streamline protein production workflows with Cytiva’s Biacore protein characterization systems open a whole new avenue for accelerating drug development," she added.
“The ability of Nuclera’s eProtein Discovery to accelerate protein production and purification complements Cytiva’s Biacore SPR technology by streamlining the upstream protein production process," stated Anna Moberg, Senior Manager and Project Manager, Cytiva.
"We look forward to continuing our collaboration to further enhance the production of characterisable proteins for drug development.”
