Development of basic tools for Cancer Research

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Our goal is to produce active recombinant proteins involved in cancer progression and other important cellular processes. Recombinant proteins in biomedical research have now become an essential tool to study many aspects of cellular biology. Genes coding for several important cellular function such as tumor suppression, cell cycle control and apoptosis (program cell death) have now been cloned. Their protein products can thus be expressed in different systems (recombinant) and their functions studied. The production of these proteins can be however time consuming, labor intensive and challenging even for experienced protein biochemists. We expect to establish a commercial source of active human recombinant proteins used in current modern biomedical research. Numerous antibodies and enzymes of defined activities are readily commercially available but there is at present no comparable source of distribution for active recombinant proteins. The proteins that we intend to produce are involved in tumor suppression, cell cycle control, DNA repair and apoptosis. The recombinant proteins will be produced under native conditions to preserve maximal activity. The convenience of commercially available native recombinant proteins is expected to facilitate basic research in several aspects of modern biology including, cancer research and aging. Applications for these proteins include studies on protein structure, protein interaction, protein processing and function as well as studies on cancer development and progression. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION: Not Available.