Collaboration Imporves Characterization of Monoclonal Antibodies That Target Integral Membrane Proteins
Bio-Rad's ProteOn XPR36 Protein Interaction Array System and Integral Molecular's Lipoparticles Provide High Throughput Kinetic Analysis of Protein Interactions
HERCULES, CA — February 05, 2009 — Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE: BIO and BIOb), a multinational manufacturer and distributor of life science research and clinical diagnostic products, announced today a collaboration with Integral Molecular, Inc. to offer the first system for rapidly and reproducibly characterizing the binding affinities of antibodies to diverse integral membrane proteins, including GPCRs and ion channels. Integral Molecular, a solution provider for scientific research and drug discovery applications involving integral membrane proteins, has developed a technology, the Lipoparticle, that enables integral membrane protein interactions to be measured using Bio-Rad's label-free, high-throughput ProteOn XPR36 protein interaction array system.
Understanding antibody binding characteristics is critical for screening new drug candidates and developing reagents that achieve optimal pharmacological characteristics. Current methods for measuring the binding affinity of ligands to transmembrane proteins require the use of whole cells or cell membrane preparations, which are heterogeneous and too impure to generate high quality, reproducible biosensor data. The challenges with these methods have thus far constrained the study of ligand binding strengths to a limited number of integral membrane proteins.
Integral Molecular's proprietary Lipoparticle technology offers scientists working with membrane-bound targets a standardized reagent with higher concentrations of membrane proteins than cell membrane preparations. Lipoparticles exploit the self-assembling machinery of non-infectious viral core proteins to create non-living, stable, homogenous nanoparticles comprising a lipid bilayer incorporating highly concentrated target receptors. Because the lipid bilayer is derived directly from mammalian cells, the incorporated membrane proteins are structurally intact and correctly oriented. At purities up to 100-fold those of cell membrane preparations, a wide range of membrane proteins have been validated for use in biosensors, both as targets and as analytes.
Bio-Rad's ProteOn XPR36 system is a multiplexed 6x6 SPR array that permits the label-free kinetic analysis of 36 different protein interactions in a single experiment, more than any other system. When used in combination, Lipoparticles and the ProteOn system will enable scientists to rapidly and reproducibly screen membrane protein targeting antibodies for binding characteristics.
Integral Molecular offers Lipoparticles as a product for customers to study their own membrane protein interactions, and now also offers services using Bio-Rad's ProteOn XPR36 instrument. Customers can submit sequences of integral membrane proteins to Integral Molecular, who will incorporate the proteins into Lipoparticles. Lipoparticles can then be coupled to the ProteOn sensor surface and customers' monoclonal antibodies flowed across the chip in order to measure overall binding strength (affinity, KD) and individual molecular association and dissociation rates (binding kinetics, kon and koff).
"Combining Bio-Rad's ProteOn system with Integral Molecular's Lipoparticles results in a high throughput workflow for screening highly concentrated, native membrane protein targets and their binding partners in hours instead of days," said Renee LeMaire-Adkins, Division Marketing Manager, Protein Function Division, Bio-Rad.
"Bio-Rad's ProteOn system was the best choice for measuring binding kinetics of antibodies to our Lipoparticles because it is the highest throughput interaction array on the market," said Joseph Rucker, Director of Research & Development, Integral Molecular. "We think this system is ideal for early stage drug discovery researchers who are interested in rapidly identifying and characterizing monoclonal antibody therapeutics."
About the ProteOn XPR36 Protein Interaction Array System
The ProteOn XPR36 protein interaction array system is a multiplexed SPR biosensor that allows users to simultaneously measure the interactions of six different ligand proteins with panels of six different concentrations of analyte, obtaining comprehensive kinetic profiles in a single experiment without the need for regeneration – termed One-shot Kinetics™. Utilizing a novel optical design and state-of-the-art microfluidics, the ProteOn XPR36 system provides much higher throughout for rapid screening of protein interactions than traditional SPR devices.
Biologics, such as antibodies, are vital reagents in basic biomedical research and for the diagnosis and treatment of various diseases. A number of antibodies are currently being used to treat diseases such as cancer, arthritis and Crohn's Disease. Screening, profiling and characterizing antibodies can often be tedious and time-consuming. The ProteOn XPR36 system reduces the amount of time required for screening targets, optimizing assay design, and profiling and characterizing antibody interactions.
The ProteOn XPR36 system is ideal for scientists conducting antibody research in drug discovery and development. Key application areas for these customers include protein interface analysis, interaction proteomics, and drug target interactions.
To obtain technical articles, go to www.bio-rad.com/osk.
About Bio-Rad
Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE: BIO and BIOb) has remained at the center of scientific discovery for more than 50 years manufacturing and distributing a broad range of products for the life science research and clinical diagnostic markets. The company is renowned worldwide among hospitals, universities, major research institutions, as well as biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies for its commitment to quality and customer service. Founded in 1952, Bio-Rad is headquartered in Hercules, California, and serves more than 85,000 research and industry customers worldwide through its global network of operations. The company employs approximately 6,300 people globally and had revenues approaching $1.5 billion in 2007. For more information, visit www.bio-rad.com.
About Integral Molecular
Integral Molecular is a biotechnology company that provides innovative solutions for research and drug discovery applications involving integral membrane proteins. The company was founded in 2001 and is located at the University City Science Center Research Park in central Philadelphia. The company has been working with pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and academic customers and collaborators since its inception, providing membrane protein-related products and services that advance its customers' scientific objectives. More information about Lipoparticles and Integral Molecular can be found at: www.integralmolecular.com.