Integral Molecular receives patent for Lipoparticle membrane protein technology

Integral Molecular, Inc. today announced the issuance of a key patent covering its technology for deriving high concentrations of membrane proteins. The patent, issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, covers the core composition of Integral Molecular's Lipoparticle technology, a novel cell-free format for deriving highly-concentrated membrane proteins for antibody development, drug discovery, and biomedical research. Integral membrane proteins, such as G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and ion channels, comprise about a third of existing drug targets, and Lipoparticles provide a means of isolating and characterizing antibodies and drugs against these proteins. Lipoparticle technology stems from research conducted at the University of Pennsylvania and published in the journals Science, PNAS, and Journal of Virology.

“The Lipoparticle overcomes some of the fundamental biological limitations of studying membrane proteins by concentrating the proteins and allowing them to be manipulated as essentially soluble proteins”

"The Lipoparticle overcomes some of the fundamental biological limitations of studying membrane proteins by concentrating the proteins and allowing them to be manipulated as essentially soluble proteins," said Dr. Joseph Rucker, Director of Research and Development at Integral Molecular and an inventor on the patent. "The Lipoparticle platform allows for antibody discovery, high-throughput screening, and protein structural analysis of important cell receptors, all without the use of live cells."

US Patent No.: US 7,763,258, Doms et al., was issued by the U.S. Patent Office on July 27, 2010 to the University of Pennsylvania. Integral Molecular is the exclusive, world-wide licensee of this patent, and licensed Lipoparticle technology is available only directly from Integral Molecular.

Custom-produced Lipoparticles with user-specified membrane proteins are offered by Integral Molecular on a fee-for-service basis. Each lot of Lipoparticles is quality controlled and provided with technical protocols for relevant applications, including antibody screening, binding assays, and biosensor assays. Small scale Lipoparticle kits are also available for evaluation. Lipoparticles can be ordered biotinylated or fluorescently labeled to accommodate end-user applications.