A fully integrated protein crystallization platform for small-molecule drug discovery

J Struct Biol. 2003 Apr;142(1):207-17. doi: 10.1016/s1047-8477(03)00051-0.

Abstract

Structure-based drug discovery in the pharmaceutical industry benefits from cost-efficient methodologies that quickly assess the feasibility of specific, often refractory, protein targets to form well-diffracting crystals. By tightly coupling construct and purification diversity with nanovolume crystallization, the Structural Biology Group at Syrrx has developed such a platform to support its small-molecule drug-discovery program. During the past 18 months of operation at Syrrx, the Structural Biology Group has executed several million crystallization and imaging trials on over 400 unique drug-discovery targets. Here, key components of the platform, as well as an analysis of some experimental results that allowed for platform optimization, will be described.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Cloning, Molecular
  • Crystallization / methods*
  • Drug Design*
  • Protein Biosynthesis
  • Proteins / chemistry*
  • Proteins / isolation & purification
  • Robotics

Substances

  • Proteins