New CD Laboratory regarding the correct folding of proteins

Certain proteins are among the most important products of the pharmaceutical industry - for example, insulin or interferons, which are used to treat diabetes, cancer or viral diseases. However, there is a frequent problem with the artificial production of such proteins: They are initially folded incorrectly. Thus, instead of a functional protein, a so-called "inclusion body" is obtained, which first has to be brought into the correct shape in laborious and expensive work steps.

With the support of corporate partner Boehringer Ingelheim RCV and the Federal Ministry of Labour and Economy, the Christian Doppler Laboratory for Inclusion Body Processing 4.0 has now been opened at TU Wien: There, Head of Laboratory Oliver Spadiut and his team are researching how the inclusion bodies can be brought into the right shape most efficiently. The goal is to understand the process precisely at the fundamental level and to reproduce it as a computer model. This should make the production of these proteins faster, more environmentally friendly and cheaper.

Further information on the CD Laboratory