I-Corps: Bacterial strains based on the separatome of E. coli.

University Of Arkansas, Fayetteville AR

Investigators

Abstract

This I-CORPS proposal addresses the following statement: Significant effort is associated with the purification of a biological for applications which include biopharmaceutical development. Creating a series of custom strains of Escherichia coli that express minimized sets of nuisance proteins will be of commercial value, with their creation uniquely based on knowledge of the separatome of E. coli. Producing recombinant products, therapeutics in particular, occur with and without the use of an affinity tail to dictate purification. In its absence, production with E. coli can be a challenge: bioseparation steps are developed somewhat arbitrarily; the presence of host cell proteins reduces separation step efficiency; and the tradeoff between overall yield and purity may not be best. Contrastingly, the use of an affinity tail helps reduce the chromatographic space but still can be plagued by: co-adsorbing / co-eluting proteins; removal of the affinity tail; and ligand cost. By developing E. coli strains that display a minimal contaminant pool, it is believed that industrial-relevant proteins can be developed more cost-effectively. The current effort will prioritize subsequent development based on potential customer feedback collected as a result of I-Corps support. If a strong business model can be discovered, the team plans to pursue this activity in a newly-formed venture.