This section of a serpentine channel reactor shows the parallel reactor and feeder channels separated by a nanoporous membrane. At left is a single nanopore viewed from the side; at right is a diagram of metabolite exchange across the membrane
Lives of soldiers and others injured in remote locations could be saved with a cell-free protein synthesis system developed at the Dept of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Lab. The device, a creation of a team led by Andrea Timm and Scott Retterer of the lab’s Biosciences Division, uses microfabricated bioreactors for on-demand production of therapeutic proteins for medicines and biopharmaceuticals. Making these miniature factories cell-free, which eliminates the maintenance of a living system, simplifies the process and lowers cost.
“With this approach, we can produce more protein faster, making our technology ideal for point-of-care use,” Retterer said. “The fact it’s cell-free reduces the infrastructure needed to produce the protein and opens the possibility of creating proteins when and where you need them, bypassing the challenge of keeping the proteins cold during shipment and storage.”
ORNL’s bioreactor has a permeable nanoporous membrane and serpentine design made using an electron beam and photolithography and advanced material deposition processes. This design enables prolonged cell-free reactions for efficient production of proteins, making it easily adaptable for use in isolated locations and at disaster sites.
The design uses long serpentine channels integrated in a way to allow the exchange of materials between parallel reactor and feeder channels. This allows control of exchange of metabolites, energy and species that inhibit production of the desired protein. On-demand biologic synthesis would aid drug synthesis that are costly to mass-produce, including orphan drugs and personalized medicines.
https://www.ornl.gov/news/ornl-cell-free-protein-synthesis-potential-lifesaver
Recent Comments