Going native

Calixar S.A.S. has developed a technology for isolating membrane proteins that preserves native conformation by using a range of novel and off-the-shelf surfactants and detergents in a target-specific fashion. According to Calixar, the platform should enable discovery and development of drugs that are more potent against GPCRs, ion channels and transporters.

Conventional protein chemistry methods for isolating and studying membrane proteins change their structure through denaturation or genetic modification. When the structure of the protein is altered, its interaction with drug compounds may also be altered, which can translate to decreased potency for the drug candidate in man...