RESEARCH

Product Profile and Pipeline

Product Profile and Pipeline | Publications | Research Collaborations


Protein Production Technology Platform
Rapid advances in genomics and proteomics have led to the discovery of many novel gene and protein sequences. However, production of biologically active proteins remains a major bottleneck to the study of the structure and function of proteins, the generation of therapeutic proteins, and the identification of novel drug targets. LifeSensors’s SUMOpro™ fusion technology addresses this bottleneck by enhancing the expression and solubility of proteins in E. coli and facilitating rapid purification of biologically active proteins.

The use of the SUMOpro system, however, is restricted to E.coli. The LifeSensors team has engineered SUMOstar — novel SUMO tags designed specifically to enhance expression and purification of recombinant proteins from eukaryotic cells. LifeSensors’s proprietary family of SUMO and SUMOstar proteases specifically cleave SUMO and SUMOstar tags to produce native protein with a desired N-terminus, which is very important in the production of therapeutic proteins. Furthermore, LifeSensors is developing various affinity matrices, antibodies, and novel tools for the purification of SUMO-tagged fusion proteins. For more information please view our publications.

Custom Protein and Peptide Expression and Purification
The development of economically feasible protein production processes is a major hurdle in taking vaccines, peptides, and therapeutic proteins from discovery and preclinical development to the market. LifeSensors has worked with a number of pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies using its SUMOpro and SUMOstar systems to express and purify proteins for therapeutic use, as well as for structure and functional studies. For high value proteins that fail to express in other systems, the LifeSensors protein production technologies are especially useful. LifeSensors performs contract expression and purification services based on FTEs and the value of the protein. The superiority of the LifeSensors expression system has been demonstrated by:

• Enhanced protein production, at least 10–100-fold compared to other systems
• Reduced cost owing to restored biological activity and increased yield
• Continuous innovation in process development and transfer to GMP production

De-ubiquitinases (DUBs) and Ubiquitin-like Protein Enzymes
Protein ubiquitylation is a dynamic process involving a careful balance between the activity of ubiquitin ligases and their antagonists — the ubiquitin-specific proteases or deubiquitylating enzymes (DUBs), which mediate the removal and processing of ubiquitin. Similar to the ubiquitin pathway, pathways involving ubiquitin-like proteins such as SUMO, ISG15 and NEDD8 play critical roles in many cellular functions. Enzymes that remove SUMO (De-SUMOylases), ISG15 (De-ISGinylases), and NEDD8 (De-NEDDylases) are important targets as biomarkers of disease and targets for drug discovery. There are approximately 100 DUBs encoded in the human genome; many of them play critical roles in cellular physiology. LifeSensors is currently marketing numerous DUBs and their antibodies, and its ultimate goal is to market all of them. Please view our DUB catalogues.

Novel DUB Assay Platform
LifeSensors has acquired an expertise in novel assay platforms for the important DUB family of proteases. This technology platform has been licensed from Progenra Inc. Although in the past DUBs have been assayed by ubiquitin-AMC or FRET-based assays, these reagents are not ideal substrates for DUBs, and many DUBs fail to show activity. The new CHOP-Reporter assay platform, which uses the natural substrate of the DUB enzymes, is superior, robust and more sensitive compared to ubiquitin-AMC or FRET-based assays. For further information please click here.

DUB Protein Microarrays in Drug Discovery and Diagnostics
Ubiquitin and ubiquitin-like (Ubl) protein pathways have been implicated in many cellular processes other than protein degradation. Several deubiquitylases (DUBs) have been linked to the pathogenesis of viral, bacterial, and protozoal diseases as well as neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. We have developed a protein microarray of more than 50 deubiquitylases (DUBs), desumoylases, deISGylases, and deNEDDylases, as well as antibodies to each on a single platform. This array is useful for detecting protein-protein interactions, autoantibodies from human sera, and novel DUB substrates as well as endogenous levels of DUBs from complex mixtures including tissue homogenates, cell extracts, and serum samples. Substrate specificity of the DUBs in the array is demonstrated by vinylmethyl ester conjugates of Ubiquitin, SUMO1, NEDD8, and ISG15. Further evidence for biological activity of the DUB array comes from evaluating a range of pan vs selective (e.g., P5091, a USP7-specific) inhibitors. LifeSensors is thus pleased to introduce a microarray in which the activity of a family of enzymes is preserved following immobilization. The arrays can also be printed on 96-well plates to enable high-throughput screening of multiple DUB targets for small molecule DUB inhibitors and/or activators. Microarrays representing an entire class of enzyme in Ub or UBL-protein pathways are powerful tools for basic research, biomarker discovery, diagnostics/prognostics, and drug discovery. For further information please click here.

Affinity Matrices for Protein Purification and Detection
The SUMO-fusion system is becoming a method of choice for protein expression and purification. LifeSensors provides a complete solution to all protein expression and purification needs. High affinity antibodies and other affinity support systems are available to help purify and analyze SUMO-fusions. A number of affinity support resins developed at LifeSensors are ideal for analyzing protein–protein interactions and their functions in cells. New SUMO tags that facilitate the detection of protein through antibodies or biotin are suitable for research in molecular and cell biology.