PharmaDiagnostics launched three new methods for coupling proteins to the gold nanoparticles used with PharmaDiagnostics’ SoPRano technology.
The methods, for use with SoPRano Build-Your-Own-Assay kits are a Carboxyl coupling, which provides a stable covalent linkage of protein to the nanoparticles; CA2 (Charge Adsorption 2) methodology, which expands the current SoPRano charge adsorption method to proteins in high salt and with high pI; and Biotin-Direct (BD), which enables direct coupling of biotinylated proteins to gold nanoparticles.
The Biotin-Direct method offers benefits over standard streptavidin-biotin couplings in that the biotinylated proteins bind directly to the gold, without the need for streptavidin. Non-specific binding of potential drug candidates to streptavidin is a frequent problem that greatly complicates the discovery process, reducing success rates and increasing cost, the company reports.
PharmaDiagnostics’ SoPRano technology is based on Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance, a variant of the well-proven Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) technology. Unlike standard SPR techniques, SoPRano uses gold nanoparticles in solution form and is suitable to high throughput applications using only standard laboratory equipment. Coupling of target proteins to SoPRano nanoparticles is the first step in assay development, and the three new coupling methods extend the range of proteins that can be coupled to SoPRano nanoparticles, thereby enabling broader application of the technology in pharmaceutical research.
