Project Summary

Rapid progress in disease biomarker discovery has increased the need for robust detection technologies. In the past several years, the designs of many immunoaffinity reagents have focused on lowering costs and improving specificity while also promoting stability. Recently, cell envelope compositions that maintain membrane proteins in native or native-like lipid environment to enhance their stability have been developed. This cell envelope composition approach is now adapted toward stabilising antibody fragments by retaining their native cell wall environment.

The aim of this project is to produce novel cell envelope affinity reagents that can be used in point-of-care diagnostic & therapeutic applications. This interdisciplinary project will provide an opportunity for students to acquire diverse skills in chemistry, molecular biology and nanobiotechnology.

(For details see ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2016 Nov 16; 8(45): 30649–30664.)

 

Research Group

Trau Group

Keywords

Cell envelope composition, affinity reagent, nanoyeast, biomaterial, nanomaterial, immunosensor, biosensor

Scheme illustrating advances in cell envelope compositions for protein studies.

Project members

Lead Investigator


Professor Matt Trau

Senior Group Leader
Trau Group

Researchers

Dr Alain Wuethrich

NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow and ARC DECRA awardee
Centre for Personalised Nanomedicine (Trau Group)