Nanoparticles used to stabilise proteins
The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), which funded the research published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, believes the development could lead to 30 per cent more proteins being available as drug candidates.
Tim Dafforn, who jointly ran the study, explained: "In the past, studies have concentrated largely on soluble proteins as membrane proteins are so difficult to make.
“However, the discovery of the SAMLPs (styrene maleic acid lipid particles) removes this barrier and opens up access to membrane proteins - this has exciting clinical implications as it may enable drug discovery on receptors that are currently too difficult to produce or study by current methods.”
The researchers demonstrated that SAMLPs, a polymer, can wrap around and preserve membrane proteins as nanoparticles. This process maintains the structure and activity of the membrane protein but is still “robust enough for experimental interrogation”.
Detergents have previously been used to stabilise proteins but the researchers believe that their technique creates protein membranes with superior stability, activity and spectral quality.
Consequently proteins that were previously considered too unstable to be therapeutic candidates could become viable, helping to further drug development.
Doug Kell, chief executive professor of BBSRC, added: "The attrition rate in developing new drugs is phenomenal. Only a tiny fraction make it into the clinic to benefit patients.
“Research such as this that can help to increase the number of potential targets will mean a larger pipeline for scientists to develop new drugs from and, ultimately more, better drugs for patients.”
