Novel chemistry for therapeutic target Isolation – CHEM2STAB

ISOCHEMP is a unique common research laboratory (LabCom) in the world by teaming up chemists and biochemists from Avignon University (UMR 5247 - Equipe Chimie Bioorganique et Systèmes Amphiphiles - CBSA) and from the start-up CALIXAR. The main goal of ISOCHEMP is to develop new molecules able to extract, to stabilize and/or to promote crystallization of therapeutic targets or antigens (membrane proteins) without denaturing them. The researches in the field of reagents for proteomic studies more precisely for the validation of pharmaceutical targets, is recent with major social and economic stakes in the field of human and animal health. Actually, socio-economic studies (2011, Mark E Bunnage Nature Chemical Biology 7 « Getting pharmaceutical R&D back on target ») have highlighted the lack of innovation in the worldwide pharmaceutical industry and beyond the need to strengthen the research in the field of target/antigen validation in particular by using soft chemistry processes avoiding the foiling of the targets/antigens. Evidently, that greatly impacts the quality and performance of drugs and vaccines developed from this targets/ antigens.

The LabCom ISOCHEMP is focused on the development and the use of new reagents well adapted for the isolation of full-length and native membrane protein targets/antigens (GPCRs, ion channels, transporters, enzymes…) without denaturation.

ISOCHEMP is structured through 5 activities areas:
- A first area concerns the research and the development of new detergents (in particular amphiphilic) able to extract i.e. solubilize all types of membrane proteins coming from different biological sources (cells bacteria, virus...).

- A second area develops the research in the field of surfactants for the stabilization of proteins (especially membrane proteins) before and after purification steps.

- A third area allows the discovery of new additives for protein crystallization. Thanks to additives, CALIXAR could help industries in finding out the 3D structure of pharmaceutical targets and then to design new drugs based on this structure.

- The fourth area is dedicated to the biochemical validation of compounds developed through the areas 1 up to 3.

- The last area deals with the use and commercialization of compounds. CALIXAR will use directly the validated compounds on its industrial projects carried out with pharmaceutical or other biotech companies or with other life science academic groups or internally.

All these activity areas will be implemented by the CBSA and CALIXAR at the latest in September 2015. In the building stage of the LabCom, CALIXAR will test the compounds already developed by CSBA for a first potential use/commercialization at the end of 2015.

In 2018, we estimate that the LabCom will participate to 50% of the CALIXAR‘s sales. In that case, the return on investment for the LabCom would be at least 200 000 euros per year from 2019.