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Research

Developing novel methods of antibody production

Bacterial microcompartments
Bacterial microcompartments

In collaboration with

A partnership, delivered through a PhD studentship between Isogenica Ltd and Queen Mary explored novel methods of producing antibodies that can potentially overcome the current problems associated with using E. coli.

The challenge

Expressing and purifying human proteins, especially in Escherichia coli, the traditional host organism for high throughput (HTP) protein expression and purification, continues to prove challenging. The low success rate when expressing eukaryotic proteins in E. coli is due to several well-known problems including low yields due to toxicity, recombinant protein insolubility, and protein aggregation.

This technical bottleneck often means that potentially interesting and novel candidates for drug discovery are effectively eliminated due to their poor expression in bacteria.

Isogenica Ltd was established in 2001 with a focus on antibody library development and discovery. The technology portfolio now includes antibodies and other biologics using a suite of state-of-the-art complementary technologies.

Queen Mary offered expertise in the structure and function of proteins with a view to explore the structure of bacterial microcompartments and its potential utility in antibody production and use for delivering molecular payloads.

We are very excited by the current mutually beneficial research collaboration with Richard Pickersgill‘s structural biology group at Queen Mary. This is a great opportunity for us to benefit from the group’s expertise in the emerging area of bacterial microcompartments that has the potential to facilitate and accelerate the production of antibodies.
— Dr Pascale Mathonet, Isogenica Ltd

How did we collaborate with our partners? 

Isogenica Ltd gained the opportunity to partner with a world-leading expert in bacterial microcompartments and explore new methods of protein production. The company was able to access UK-based protein crystallography facilities.

The partnership has the potential to develop novel solutions to address Isogenica’s business needs and to improve their future productivity.

Queen Mary was able to develop their understanding of an emerging area of production and to expand their research capabilities. It gave an opportunity to apply research techniques to address commercial needs.

The outcome

Queen Mary plans further R&D projects with Isogenic Ltd. They will seek academic publication and there is potential for new intellectual property as a result of the partnership.

Industry-sponsored PhD studentships

Associate Director, Business DevelopmentDr Kalpana Chaturvedi

Email Dr Kalpana Chaturvedi
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