PRODUCT INFORMATION
COVID 19 – Drug & Vaccine Development
SPOT synthesis technique utilizing cellulose supports, combined with Aurora’s liquid handling technology, has given birth to the VERSA series microarray printer (microarrayer). The study of protein-protein interaction is an essential part of understanding the molecular underpinnings of various diseases as well as characterizing the relationship between an antigen and its antibody. Considering the Covid-19 pandemic and to accelerate the research and development process for diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of SARS-CoV-2 viral infections using protein-protein interactions, Aurora VERSA series automated microarray spotter could be used. Peptide microarray printing is an effective way to facilitate the identification and characterization of antibodies, antigens, and other protein binding sites. SARS-CoV-2 (Antibody-antigen interactions) could identify unique epitopes with potential for diagnostic test development and could also be directly used in serological studies.
Peptide Microarray – Application in “Covid-19” Vaccine Development
An epitope is a surface domain of an immunogen recognized by the corresponding antibody. With multiple array technologies, all the proteins of the SARS-COV 2 virus can be placed on a chip and reacted with patients with different courses of disease. The reaction sites or binding domains can be further screened to identify specific epitopes against the protective antibodies. After this procedure, the epitope can be used for active or passive specific immune responses. Aurora developed the VERSA automated microarray spotter series. Automation greatly improves the experimental efficiency, while reducing experimental costs and increasing sample throughput. Aurora’s extensive expertise in life science robotics has seen an increased need for scientific personnel to seek out automated solutions for peptide synthesis r and modules such as the nano-pipettor head, which allows for simple distribution of reagents—this helps in conducting grams to milligrams of combinatorial chemistry using contact or non-contact spotting.
Peptide Microarray – Application in “Covid-19” Drug Discovery
Drug development is known to cost huge drug research and development. Usually, new drug research starts and goes on the market, and usually costs hundreds of millions of dollars. One of the great challenges in drug discovery is how to screen effective drug molecules and improve the success rate of new drug research and development. The advent of peptide chips provides an effective solution for this challenge. Peptide chips can provide accurate indicators and rapid feedback for drug screening in the early stage of drug development, thereby reducing the possibility of R & D failure and avoiding huge investment waste in the later stage of research and development. For the existing pandemic, peptide arrays can indeed accelerate the process of drug research and development for Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Using Pep-Hit technology, researchers can make a synthesis of hundreds of non-natural peptides to test the target protein, to promote the activity of inhibitor conjugates or competition, or competition binding of these inhibitors could be used for the following candidates for drug development, disease treatment. Similarly, many other biomolecules or compounds can also interact with target proteins by peptide array technology. The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) drug development using the peptide array technology is rapid, flexible, and high throughput.
VERSA enables slides, papers or any other suitable array surface to be constructed with array spots in a simple and reproducible manner, providing consistent results. The VERSA spot printing workstation standardizes the spacing between specimens and is capable of printing both simple and complex patterns. The robotic arm is controlled by an external computer, allowing the user to micro-control the desired range of movement and provide precise, consistent printing. The Versa® 110 Peptide Microarray Spotter workstation can streamline workflows in epitope mapping, biomarker identification, enzyme-substrate profiling, and drug development. The NanoPipettor is capable of repeatedly pipetting sub-microliter volumes of amino acids for the synthesis of high-density microarrays, in either simple or complex user-defined patterns. The customizable deck layout support printing on diverse substrates, including filter papers, cellulose membranes, glass slides, silicon chips, and microwell plates.
Layering of amino acid residues on different Surfaces – VERSA
Peptide Microarray – Application in “Covid-19” Diagnostic kits Development
Using the peptide microarray technology, rapid diagnosis of many diseases including the family of SARS Corona Viruses (Covid-19) can be made. The epitope could be printed directly on the biochip and based on the reaction with patient samples (such as serum, urine, mucous secretions), and finally, through the fingerprint check, rapid diagnosis of this disease can be made.
Non-syringe-based sample loading platform with fast decontamination steps. The system dispenses a wide range of volumes from nanoliter to microliter for both contact and non-contact spotting.
Advantages of Aurora’s Peptide Microarray
Stability and Reliability: Compared with the existing protein chips on the market, the production process of peptide chips is completely chemical synthesis rather than traditional biosynthesis, thus avoiding fluctuations in the production process. In addition, due to the instability of macromolecular protein itself, the protein chip has a very limited period of validity, usually within half a year (4 degrees Celsius). Because of the pure chemical synthesis, the molecular surface of the peptide itself has a protective base, and the validity of the peptide chip is greatly extended.
Flexibility and diversity: Because peptide chips are chemically synthesized, peptide molecules are not limited to existing biological fields. In addition, the amino acid of peptide molecules can be chemically modified freely, which has strong flexibility in basic research and drug research and development.
Spotter Applications
Vaccine Development
The research group of Dr. McGeer from the University of British Columbia (UBC) prepared peptide chips to detect antibodies against the SARS coronavirus in serum. The epitope of antibody recognition is of great value for the diagnosis of SARS and the development of the SARS vaccine.
Drug Development
Wang Zhenxin, a professor of Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences screened thrombin inhibitors in blood samples by resonance light scattering method based on peptide microarray. Thrombin is an important protease that condenses blood into blocks to prevent blood loss. The diagnosis and treatment of thrombin and thromboembolic disease are closely related to thrombin-targeted anti-clotting drugs as the main drugs used to treat clinical thrombosis.
Serologic Study – Cancer Therapy
Researchers at the Beijing Institute of Tuberculosis Thoracic Cancer have detected autoantibodies for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in serum of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) using peptide chips.
