BUSINESS WIRE; Tuesday, June 9, 1998
Gryphon Sciences today announced the publication of the first crystal structure of the protein `SDF-1 alpha', the unique ligand for the HIV-1 co-receptor in human T-cells. The structure was solved in the laboratory of Dr. Elias Lolis, Associate Professor of Pharmacology at Yale University School of Medicine, using protein prepared by Gryphon's Chemical Protein Synthesis technology. The paper appears in the June 9th issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
"SDF-1 alpha blocks entry of the AIDS virus into human T-cells." according to Lolis. "The protein is the unique ligand for the receptor `CXCR4' that HIV uses to infect T-cells; this is the key step in the progression of HIV infection to AIDS. Thus SDF-1 alpha is an important target in the search for new AIDS therapies."
The crystal structure of this protein showcases the power of Gryphon's Chemical Protein Synthesis technology for accelerating drug discovery. Dr. Stephen Kent, Chief Scientist at Gryphon, states: "It used to be that proteins like this were laboriously produced by expression in genetically engineered cells. Now, using chemical protein synthesis Gryphon's scientists are able to make large amounts of high purity protein direct from gene sequence data. This significantly accelerated the structure determination. We estimate that chemical protein synthesis reduced the time to structure by at least six months. A six-month lead in drug discovery is enormously valuable in today's highly competitive drug discovery environment. That kind of time savings can make the difference between being first or second to market with a new drug."
Gryphon Sciences' powerful Chemical Protein Synthesis technology can produce proteins directly from genome data for use in drug discovery. The technology provides direct access to function from the gene sequence, thereby greatly accelerating the drug discovery process. Gryphon uses proprietary chemical technologies to stitch together peptide segments covering the entire sequence encoded by the gene, thus making the target protein's polypeptide chain. The resulting protein displays the full range of biological activities encoded in the gene. Gryphon's proprietary chemistries also enable the rapid preparation of pure proteins in precisely labeled forms for use in drug screening. Gryphon is commercializing its proprietary technology through discovery and development collaborations with large pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, and with genomics tool companies.
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CONTACT: Gryphon Sciences, South San Francisco Stephen B.H. Kent, 415/952-7714 http://www.gryphonsci.com
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