Integral Molecular Launches Lipoparticles for Cell-Free Analysis of Membrane Proteins
PHILADELPHIA–Integral Molecular, Inc. today announced the commercial availability of Lipoparticles for cell-free analysis of membrane proteins. Lipoparticle technology selectively captures and concentrates target cell surface proteins in membrane-enveloped nanoparticles. Membrane proteins, such as G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and ion channels, comprise about a third of all existing drug targets, but are difficult to manipulate because they are normally embedded in the cell surface. Lipoparticles can replace membrane preparations and live cells for studying diverse membrane proteins and can enable new applications that are difficult or impossible using these traditional membrane protein sources. The Lipoparticle technology will be launched at the 2008 annual conference of the Society for Biomolecular Screening, where Integral Molecular will be making several scientific presentations.
Because of their size and purity, Lipoparticles can be used to analyze receptors using strategies previously suitable only for soluble proteins. Dr. Benjamin Doranz, Integral Molecular’s President and Chief Scientific Officer, describes the Lipoparticle as a valuable tool in drug discovery. “Since Lipoparticles essentially solubilize membrane proteins, we can now routinely use them to study surface receptors in solution-based formats including flow cytometry, optical biosensors, and bead binding assays. One of our first applications, using Lipoparticles with the Biacore biosensor, is enabling us to measure how membrane proteins interact with other molecules.”
Lipoparticles have been validated for a wide range of membrane protein targets, including many that have been linked to important human diseases such as HIV infection and various cancers. Integral Molecular is now offering custom Lipoparticles engineered to contain user-specified membrane proteins. Lipoparticles are provided with technical protocols for applications within drug discovery, including high throughput screening, binding assays, and biosensor assays. Evaluation materials are also available.
About Integral Molecular:
Integral Molecular is a biotechnology company committed to providing innovative solutions for scientific research and drug discovery applications involving integral membrane proteins. Integral Molecular is a privately-owned company founded in 2001 and located 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. Integral Molecular has ongoing internal programs in the fields of infectious and inflammatory disease. More information about Lipoparticles and Integral Molecular can be found at: www.integralmolecular.com.