Everything downstream inherits this protein
You are deciding whether this protein can be made in a form that is usable: folded, active, and pure enough that the assay measures the target rather than the preparation.
A catalog protein does not always answer that. The available construct is not the one your biology requires, purity does not hold at assay concentration, the batch will not carry the campaign to its end, or the protein is not offered at all.
So we make it: designed for the experiment it will enable, purified to a homogeneous and active state, and characterized to ensure downstream findings are attributable to the target, not the system.
How a protein gets made
Construct design
Sequence analysis and structure prediction set domain boundaries, tag choice and construct strategy before anything is cloned. Where a construct expresses poorly or behaves badly in solution, we redesign it rather than carry a weak construct into the campaign.
Methods
Expression
Bacterial and mammalian systems, with the possibility to incorporate isotopic labeling for high-resolution NMR characterization. The choice follows the biology: folding requirements, post-translational modification, and the assay the protein will ultimately serve. Feasibility studies and method development run first where the construct has no precedent.
Systems
Purification
Protocols are developed per target rather than applied from a template, so the protein arrives homogeneous and active. Insoluble expression is recovered rather than abandoned.
Methods
Quality control
Identity, purity, folding, oligomeric state and function are all read before delivery. Formulation and stability work then fixes the storage and assay conditions that keep activity intact over time.
Read before delivery
Built for the science it enables
Targets for assays and screening
Proteins produced as targets for biochemical assays and for screening campaigns, where batch-to-batch consistency determines whether a campaign is successful.
QC and formulation conditions are set to the assay format itself, so activity in the last plate matches activity in the first, and a shift in signal can be read as biology rather than as reagent drift.
Proteins and complexes for structural and biophysical work
Purity, solubility and stability at the levels structural and biophysical methods demand, including proteins presented in complex with a partner in defined stoichiometry.
Isotopic labeling is produced in-house for atomic-resolution NMR studies, and the sample conditions are set by the group that will run the experiments. See one team, from construct to spectrum.
Antibodies, peptides and difficult constructs
Recombinant antibodies produced and characterized for target engagement and specificity work. Aggregation-prone and poorly behaved constructs are handled through refolding, buffer and formulation screening rather than written off.
Where a program also needs synthetic peptides, macrocycles or peptide-protein conjugates, our peptide drug discovery group works within the same program team.
One team, from construct to NMR spectrum
Protein production and the NMR unit are one group, in one building, planning the sample and the experiment in the same conversation.
That enhances what gets decided and when. The labeling scheme is chosen specific to the experiment that will use it, before the first culture is grown. Construct boundaries are set with the spectrum in mind, so a construct that will never give usable signal is redesigned rather than produced. Buffer, concentration and temperature are agreed once, for the protein and for the spectrometer together.
It also changes what happens when something does not work. A poor spectrum is answered with a construct change or a new purification strategy, by people who already know the target, instead of a fresh specification sent to an outside supplier.
Structural Biology by NMRWhat the spectra determines once the protein is ready: binding site, binding mode, dynamics and affinity.
Produced beside the teams that use it
A protein produced here moves straight into assay development, screening, biophysics and structural work. No shipping, no requalification by a second supplier, no handoff between organizations that each hold half of the problem.
That matters most when something goes wrong. When an assay result raises a question about the protein, the people who designed the construct are in the same building as the people who ran the assay, and the loop closes in days rather than in procurement cycles.
Assay DevelopmentThe most common destination for protein made here, and the group that sets the specifications it must satisfy.
What you receive
- Identity and puritySDS-PAGE, silver staining and Western blot
- Molecular integrityMass spectrometry
- Folding and oligomeric stateNMR, CD and dynamic light scattering
- Demonstrated functionELISA or activity assay, in the format the protein is intended
- Defined handlingStorage buffer and conditions, with stability assessed
Move faster from target to preclinical candidate
IRBM’s Integrated Drug Discovery platform unites chemistry, biology, DMPK, and in vivo pharmacology under one scientific framework so candidates advance through fewer handoffs, stronger data continuity, and better-informed decisions.
Frequently asked questions
Which expression systems does IRBM use for recombinant protein production?
Bacterial (E. coli) and mammalian systems. The system is chosen for the biology of the target: folding behavior, post-translational modification, and the assay or structural experiment the protein will serve. Feasibility and method development studies run first when a construct has no precedent.
Can IRBM produce isotopically labeled proteins?
Yes. Isotopically labeled proteins are produced on site for atomic-resolution structural, dynamic and interaction studies by NMR. Because protein production and the NMR unit are one team, the labeling scheme is chosen against the planned experiment before expression begins.
What quality control is performed on a purified protein?
Identity and purity by SDS-PAGE, silver staining and Western blot; molecular integrity by mass spectrometry; folding and oligomeric state by CD, NMR and dynamic light scattering; function by activity assays. Formulation and stability studies then define the storage and assay conditions that preserve activity over time.
Can protein production be commissioned on its own?
Yes. It runs as a standalone deliverable, or as one discipline inside an integrated drug discovery program. The same team handles both production and characterization, so scope can expand by milestone without changing who does the work.
What is the full technical scope of the protein production group?
Sequence analysis and structure prediction, plasmid design and optimization, molecular cloning, expression in E. coli and mammalian systems, and purification by affinity, ion exchange, size exclusion and hydrophobic interaction chromatography, including GST, His, MBP, FLAG and Strep II tagged purification and refolding from inclusion bodies. Analytical support covers SDS-PAGE, silver staining, Western blot, ELISA, activity assays, CD, NMR, DLS and mass spectrometry, plus formulation and stability studies. All work conducted at a single research site in Rome, Italy.
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