EU FP7 Project PEPLASER (expired)

Our particle based method allows us to synthesise very high complexity peptide arrays by combinatorial synthesis and for an unrivalled prize. (more) Within the expired EU FP7 project PEPLASER we developed this new technology up to the level of robust prototype machines, and mated it to bioinformatics (bioinfo.pl and selvita.com) and readout tools. The development of the 2^nd generation peptide laser printer was led by our cooperation partner Fraunhofer IPA, with engineering mostly done at SME Kemmer Automation, and programming done at Microsystems LTD, Bulgaria and at the Technical University of Varna, Bulgaria. Together, our procedure(s) should boost the field of proteomics in a similar way as the lithographic technologies did with the field of genomics. Central to our novel method are the activated chemical building blocks that are “frozen” within solid amino acid particles. Thereby, we can use a modified colour laser printer to send them to defined addresses on a 2D support, where the particles are simply melted to induce a spatially defined coupling reaction of now freed amino acid derivatives. By repeated printing and melting cycles this simple trick yields high complexity peptide arrays. Based on existing pre-prototypes, (more) we developed a user friendly peptide laser printer that spatially defined addresses our 20 different amino acid toners in high resolution to a support, and a scanner (www.uar.at, AKAtech) that especially fast and sensitive reads out the large formats delivered by the peptide laser printer. The increased production of amino acid toners and array supports are other bottlenecks in the output of peptide arrays that were tackled in the PEPLASER project. This now allow us to increase the output of individual peptide spots to >10 Million peptides per month. Finally, to foster a market for high complexity peptide arrays, KIT and our spin-off company PEPperPRINT worked out paradigmatic applications. (more) One of these applications aims for the comprehensive readout of the different antibodies that patrol the serum of patients suffering from Malaria. Based on user friendly prototype machines, on first paradigmatic application examples for high complexity peptide arrays, and shielded by a strong patent, the participating SMEs will commercialise this new technology. AIMS scientific commercialises novel solid support materials, PEPperPRINT commercialise our novel particle based peptide arrays, and AKAtech commercialise our novel scanner.