Researchers at the Earle A. Chiles Research Institute, a division of Providence Cancer Institute, are using TriAltus Bioscience, LLC protein purification technology to fast-track development of an ELISA test to monitor antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 in patients that will receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
The researchers are using TriAltus’ ultra-high-affinity CL7/Im7 system to isolate and purify the Spike protein (S-protein) from SARS-COV2 (COVID-19) and bind it to ELISA plates.
Named for its distinctive spike, the S-protein helps the COVID-19 virus attach to and infect human cells, leading to COVID-19 infections.
“We’re in a race to develop this vaccine as quickly as possible, so it’s important to have technology that helps us isolate and purify the S-protein for time-critical research,” said Hong-Ming Hu, Ph.D., Associate Member, Cancer Immunobiology Laboratory, Earle A. Chiles Research Institute. “The CL7/Im7 system enables our lab to isolate and purify the spike protein faster, with higher yields, thus saving precious time.”
Chiles Research Institute researchers are fast-tracking the development of a COVID-19 vaccine in collaboration with biotech company OncoSec, UbiVac and the National Institutes of Health. If all goes as expected, vaccine trials could begin in May.
“It’s rewarding to know that our product can help expedite the search for a COVID-19 vaccine,” said TriAltus Bioscience CEO Bob Shufflebarger. “Our CL7/Im7 system is helping Dr. Hu and his colleagues attain high protein purity in a single-step process that saves critical time and boosts research productivity.”
Simple, reusable and resilient, TriAltus’ Activated Im7 Resin has been used to purify a variety of proteins – including membrane, multisubunit, coronavirus, and Cas9 and Cas12a CRISPR-associated proteins. The Im7 resin is capable of up to 100 reactivations without loss of activity.
The CL7 technology was invented by a team led by Dmitry Vassylyev, Ph.D., TriAltus co-founder and professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of Alabama Birmingham (UAB). The foundational study was published in 2017 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. TriAltus offers a limited free sample program for researchers to validate the CL7/Im7 system in their own labs.