Principal Investigator: Prof. Magnus Rueping
Poster Presenter: Nicoleta Gutu
Lab: KAUST Catalysis Center (KCC)
The COVID-19 outbreak showed that faster turnaround time for prototyping proteins is required, since the traditional protein timelines tend to be time-consuming and slow compared to the newly emerged mRNA-technology. However, the development process of therapeutic proteins can be accelerated with the use of a cell-free protein expression (CFPS) system, which is an in-vitro reconstituted cell. CFPS systems have emerged as an alternative for protein synthesis due to real-time monitoring, flexible modular design, and the low content of contaminants. Here, we explore and engineer a CFPS system for the expression and purification of KV-0620, a KAUST developed SARS-CoV-2 protein subunit booster vaccine. The envisioned system will capitalize on the speed and flexibility of general CFPS systems and further holds the promise to enable GMP production of several therapeutic proteins, consequently, reducing the bench-to-clinic time.