Carterra LSA for the University of Oxford - Enabling High-Throughput SPR and Antibody Characterisation

了解分子之间的相互作用是生物医学研究几乎每一个分支的中心目标。通过了解分子如何相互作用，研究小组可以使用一系列方法来创新改变这些相互作用的方法；在许多情况下，这将打开开发干预或治疗方法的途径，从而改善人类健康或预防疾病。了解分子相互作用的关键是获得关于分子相互结合的地方以及它们相互作用的速度的知识，也称为结合“动力学”。许多生物物理研究仪器使科学家能够准确地测量这些分子的结合和动力学。然而，这些机器的一个限制是它们的吞吐量，即一次只能测量少量的交互，通常这些实验可能需要几天的时间。相反，近年来，其他领域的生产能力大大提高，建立在其他令人兴奋的进展的基础上，使研究人员能够研究与人类健康相关的越来越大的系统。因此，对于许多类型的研究来说，测量分子相互作用的吞吐量已经成为瓶颈或速度限制，这些研究现在希望一次研究数百个分子，而不是只研究几个分子。最近，市场上出现了一种名为“Carterra LSA High-Throughput SPR”平台的新机器。Carterra LSA已迅速成为全球高通量抗体鉴定的明显领跑者，被全球制药公司和美国领先的学术机构使用。这台机器的能力为科学雄心提供了一个明显的阶段性变化。例如，LSA是礼来公司和AbCellera在发现Bamlanivimab时使用的主要工具，Bamlanivimab是疫情期间第一个达到临床试验的新冠肺炎疗法，也是有史以来最快的生物疗法。然而，目前没有Carterra LSA在任何总部位于英国的学术机构永久提供。现在，获得这样一个平台具有重要的战略意义，对英国研究的国际竞争力至关重要。因此，该应用程序寻求获取牛津大学的这台机器并使其能够轻松访问。牛津大学对平台访问需求很高的具体领域将包括：i)疫苗抗体研究；ii)基于抗体的药物的开发；iii)基于抗体的新诊断的开发；iv)蛋白质-蛋白质相互作用的分子药物筛选；以及v)与多种传染病、自身免疫性疾病和癌症相关的T细胞结合和动力学。所有这些领域都属于与MRC相关的研究，并将极大地受益于通过进入LSA进行高通量筛查的独特机会。

Understanding the interactions that occur between molecules is a central goal in nearly every branch of biomedical research. By understanding how molecules interact, research groups can then use a whole range of approaches to innovate ways of changing these interactions; in many cases this will open up avenues to develop interventions or treatments that can improve human health or prevent disease.Critical to understanding molecular interactions is gaining knowledge about where molecules bind to each other and how quickly they can interact, also known as binding "kinetics". A number of biophysical research instruments are available that enable scientists to accurately measure the binding and kinetics of such molecules. However, a limitation of these machines is their throughput, i.e. only a small number of interactions can be measured at any one time and typically these experiments can take a number of days. Conversely, other fields have greatly advanced their throughput in recent years, building on other exciting advances that enable resarchers to study larger and bigger systems relevant to human health. Consequently, the throughput to measure molecular interactions has become a bottleneck or rate-limiting for many types of research that now wish to study 100s of molecules at once, as opposed to just a few.Recently, a new machine has become available on the market called a "Carterra LSA High-Throughput SPR" platform. The Carterra LSA has rapidly become the clear frontrunner technology worldwide for high-throughput antibody characterisation, used by global pharmaceutical companies and leading US-based academic institutions. The abilities of this machine provide a clear step-change in scientific ambition. For example, the LSA was the primary tool used by Eli Lilly and AbCellera in the discovery of Bamlanivimab, the first COVID-19 therapeutic and fastest biologic ever to reach clinical trials during the pandemic. There is currently, however, no Carterra LSA permanently available in any UK-based academic institution. Access to such a platform is now of strategic importance and critical for the international competitiveness of UK research. This application thus seeks to acquire and enable ease of access to this machine at the University of Oxford. Specific areas of high demand for platform access at the University of Oxford will include:i) vaccine antibody research;ii) development of antibody-based drugs;iii) development of novel antibody-based diagnostics;iv) molecular drug screening for protein-protein interactions; andv) T cell binding and kinetics, relevant to numerous infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases and cancer.All of these areas fall within MRC-relevant research, and will greatly benefit from the unique opportunities of high-throughput screening that will be enabled via access to the LSA.