Sep 24 2009
LifeSensors, Inc., a biotechnology company specializing in protein expression technologies and ubiquitin pathway research tools, announced today their worldwide, exclusive license for high affinity ubiquitin traps. These new research tools, developed by Dr. Manuel S. Rodriguez of the proteomics unit of the CICbioGUNE in Spain, will be launched in October 2009. Based on protein domains having an affinity for ubiquitin, the laboratory directed by Dr. Rodriguez has developed Tandem-repeated Ubiquitin Binding Entities (TUBEs) to purify ubiquitylated proteins. TUBEs display up to a 1000-fold increase in affinity for poly-ubiquitin moieties over a single ubiquitin binding domain and are effective “Ubiquitin Traps”.
Ubiquitin pathway proteins play key roles in numerous diseases from neurodegeneration to cancer. However, ubiquitylated proteins are unstable and, as a result, the ubiquitylation state of many proteins is poorly characterized. TUBEs will fill this void in ubiquitin research, allowing the identification of ubiquitin-modified proteins that cannot be detected with current technologies. TUBEs can be used to purify ubiquitylated proteins from cells, tissues and organs.
According to James Strickler, LifeSensors’ Chief Scientific Officer, “The new TUBEs technology further demonstrates LifeSensors’ leadership in SUMO and Ubiquitin tools and Technologies, enabling our customers to achieve breakthroughs in research in the ever expanding ubiquitin field.”
Manuel S. Rodriguez, Group Leader of Proteomics at CICbioGUNE and TUBEs inventor commented, “We have successfully used the TUBEs to identify novel proteins modified by ubiquitin and protect ubiquitylated proteins from degradation, all without the need for inhibitors or overexpression techniques and are happy to license our proprietary technologies to LifeSensors, Inc., a proven leader in the commercialization of ubiquitin pathway tools and reagents.”
www.lifesensors.com
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