APPLICATIONS OF TECHNOLOGY:
Combinatorial screening in
- Drug discovery and optimization
- Biomanufacturing
- Diagnostics
ADVANTAGES:
- Enables faster testing of more diverse conditions / combinations
- Readily detects lanthanide/chelator complexes
- Maintains strong lanthanide binding and single-charge ionization
- Simplified quantification
ABSTRACT:
Researchers at the Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) have developed a lanthanide barcode with a readout that describes combinatorial input conditions and can be detected in soft ionization mass spectrometry (MS) in parallel with metabolites of interest. This barcoding capability could enable faster and more efficient generation of combinatorial conditions, eliminating a critical bottleneck in combinatorial screening. The JBEI technology offers non-disruption of biological activity, quantifiable tracking of precursor components, and an unbiased readout from barcode to barcode, making it ideal for testing a high diversity of conditions.
The researchers synthesized a custom chelator with a high lanthanide affinity that possesses effective lanthanide binding and single-charge ionization. Lanthanide barcodes monitor each precursor component in the generation of combinatorial conditions to determine its relative abundance in the final combined mixture. The lanthanide/chelator complexes are detected in positive mode matrix assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) MS on a ABSciex 4800 for every lanthanide species assessed.
Currently, producing combinations under investigation by methods such as microarray printing limits most screens to ~10^3 conditions. JBEI’s combinatorial barcode for assay inputs, which can be read out with biomolecular outputs, promises to facilitate investigation of more conditions, ~10^6.
DEVELOPMENT STAGE: Proven principle
STATUS: Patent pending. Available for licensing or collaborative research.
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