One of the most expensive steps in manufacturing protein drugs such as antibodies or insulin is the purification step: isolating the protein from the bioreactor used to produce it. This step can account for up to half of the total cost of manufacturing a protein.
One of the most expensive steps in manufacturing protein drugs such as antibodies or insulin is the purification step: isolating the protein from the bioreactor used to produce it. This step can account for up to half of the total cost of manufacturing a protein.
In an effort to help reduce those costs, MIT engineers have devised a new way to perform this kind of purification. Their approach, which uses specialized nanoparticles to rapidly crystallize proteins, could help to make protein drugs more affordable and accessible, especially in developing countries.
“This work uses bioconjugate-functionalized nanoparticles to act as templates for enhancing protein crystal formation at low concentrations,” says Kripa Varanasi, a professor of mechanical engineering at MIT and the senior author of the new study. “The goal is to reduce the cost so that this kind of drug manufacturing becomes affordable in the developing world.”
Read more at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Image: A microfluidic device was designed to combine protein solution with nanoparticles and then form thousands of tiny, identical droplets. Inside each of these droplets, the proteins interact with the nanoparticles, which help them to form protein crystals. Credits: Courtesy of the researchers, colorized by MIT News
