SBIR Phase I: Directed protein evolution: Creating high affinity protein ligands for controlling economically detrimental plant pathogens and pests

小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的更广泛影响是创造下一代作物产品。据估计，由于病原体造成的作物损失约占总产量的20-40%。 这项技术是一种环保的方法来对抗害虫，即使它们进化到对传统方法有抵抗力。该技术可用于其他生命科学应用，包括特殊的癌症治疗。拟议的项目是通过生产配体来产生新的和持久的抗性作物，这些配体可以与植物病原体的毒力因子结合，使它们发生故障。新的蛋白质进化技术是开发高亲和力蛋白质配体的快速和自动化平台。它包括一个自我维持的迭代细菌培养系统，该系统驱动由M13噬菌体表达的新蛋白质和肽序列的出现。一旦病原体或害虫对我们产生的配体产生抗性，新的更强的结合配体就可以迅速进化出来控制它们。 该技术广泛适用于开发用于几乎任何亲和相互作用的优化蛋白质序列。 其他应用包括蛋白质纯化、抗体优化以及工程化用于癌症免疫治疗的新型受体。  该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为是值得通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估的支持。

The broader impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to create next generation crop products. Crop loss due to pathogens has been estimated to be approximately 20-40% of total possible yield. The proposed technology is an environmentally-friendly way to combat pests, even if they evolve to be resistant to conventional methods. This technology can be used for other life sciences applications, including special cancer treatments. The proposed project is to generate new and durable resistant crops by producing ligands that can bind to virulence factors of plant pathogens to make them malfunction. The novel protein evolution technology is a rapid and automated platform for developing high-affinity protein ligands. It comprises a self-sustaining, iterative bacterial culture system that drives the emergence of new protein and peptide sequences expressed by the M13 bacteriophage. Once pathogens or pest develop resistance for the ligands we generate, new and stronger binding ligands could be quickly evolved to control them. The technology is broadly applicable to developing optimized protein sequences for virtually any affinity interaction. Other applications include protein purification, antibody optimization as well as engineering novel receptors for cancer immunotherapy.  This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.