Imagine creating a tiny, custom-made DNA 'translator' that can stick to a protein and tell you exactly how that protein is moving and changing shape. It works like a molecular sensor that turns biological movements into optical signals we can read. This helps us see hidden processes in the body that were previously invisible.
Current methods for analyzing the conformational dynamics of biomolecules are insufficient for real-time, in-vivo observation. This creates a bottleneck in understanding how protein structural changes lead to disease and how drugs can effectively block those changes.
A system of DNA-nanotransducers (DNA-NTs) and a library of enzymes to create them, paired with machine learning models to predict 3D structures from optical signals.
If you are a drug discovery firm dealing with the difficulty of seeing how a drug candidate interacts with a target protein in real-time — this project developed DNA-nanotransducers that link atomistic structure to dynamics. This allows for more precise identification of how molecules bind, speeding up the lead optimization phase.
If you are a diagnostic kit manufacturer dealing with the need for higher sensitivity in detecting protein misfolding, such as alpha-synuclein — this project developed a sensing unit that detects conformational changes. This could lead to earlier and more accurate detection of neurodegenerative diseases.
If you are a synthetic biology startup dealing with the challenge of monitoring molecular machines in vivo — this project developed a repertoire of enzymes to modify DNA structures into tailored transducers. This provides a tool for high-throughput functional molecular structure analysis.
Based on available project data, the specific commercial price is not listed, though the research was supported by a EUR 3,000,418 EU contribution.
The project focuses on the development of a repertoire of enzymes and DNA-NTs; however, based on available project data, large-scale manufacturing metrics are not yet provided.
Based on available project data, specific licensing terms are not mentioned, but the project involves 9 partners across 6 countries, including one SME.
The technology is designed to work with linear and 'on-chip' non-linear spectroscopies to recognize structural changes via optical signals.
The project period runs from 2022-10-01 to 2027-01-31, suggesting the technology is currently in the development and validation phase.
The consortium is heavily research-oriented, consisting of 4 universities and 4 research organizations, with only 1 industry partner (an SME). This 11% industry ratio indicates the project is currently in a high-risk, high-reward scientific discovery phase rather than a commercial rollout phase, though the presence of an SME suggests a path toward commercialization.
Contact Uppsala Universitet (Sweden)
Contact us to bridge the gap between this DNA-nanotransducer research and your drug discovery pipeline.
