Protein engineering
Protein engineering, i.e. the deliberate modification of a protein sequence to improve the protein’s physical or enzymatic properties, is a powerful technology routinely applied in biotechnology and pharma. By improving the binding affinity of an antibody or the activity of an enzyme, downstream processes and products can be significantly improved.
However, a rational protein design is usually not possible, because of the complex and unpredictable interactions within the amino acid chain. Computer modelling can offer some insights, but it is usually not accurate enough to reliably predict the effects of manual changes.
Therefore, the best approach to protein engineering is directed evolution: A set of randomized variants of the protein at question is created, and this set is then subjected to screening. ‘Fit’ variants are identified, their DNA sequence determined, and they are either used as-is, or entered into the next round of randomization and screening.
Entelechon offers codon-precision randomized gene libraries which allow to efficiently screen for protein variants. In contrast to single wobble nucleotide randomizations, a codon-precision library incorporates a specific set of codons at each randomized amino acid position, thus avoiding undesired codon variants and stop codons.
If you are interested in protein engineering, please contact us in order to discuss further details. We are happy to help you design a suitable library and devise a screening strategy that fits your requirements and budget.