Understanding protein-protein interactions for diagnostics and therapeutics
How do biomolecules identify and interact with each other? This question is fundamental when developing new diagnostic tests and medicines.
In our lab, we specialise in measuring the quantity of interactions, their kinetics, the strength (affinity) of binding, and how binding affects molecular structure. We apply our expertise to collaborative R&D projects with diagnostic and therapeutic developers and can perform contractual services to answer specific questions.
Equipment developers and suppliers also test prototypes of the latest analytical devices in our labs. This helps companies evaluate how their new devices perform in applied research settings, to refine their features before launch on the market.
Expertise and services
- Understanding how proteins, DNA, RNA and lipids bind and communicate
- Determining antibody-antigen binding for biologics and diagnostics development
- Proposing ideal structures and sites for antibody-drug conjugation
- Identifying suitable reagents for diagnostic test kits and environmental monitoring
- Developing reagents for protein capture, purification, and analysis
- Evaluating prototypes of analytical devices in applied research settings
A look inside the facility
PhD student Titus Wuermeling operates the Opentrons Flex Robot liquid-handling workstation. 
Opentrons Flex Robot liquid-handling workstation with 96-well plates for parallel preparation of different antibody-antigen sample combinations 
Research associate Peter Spies operates the Fida 1 system for flow-induced dispersion analysis 
Loading samples into the Fida 1 system. 
FortéBio Octet Red96e (Sartorius) biolayer interferometry (BLI) analyser 
FortéBio Octet Red96e (Sartorius) biolayer interferometry (BLI) analyser 
Biacore X100 (Cytivia) two-flow-cell surface plasmon resonance (SPR) system 
Biacore sensor chip 
Gator Prime biolayer interferometry (BLI) analyser 
ITC200 (Malvern) for isothermal titration calorimetry 
ElioDX™ Reader R24.3 for high-precision, real-time, wash-free immunoassays 
MACS® Matchmaker 
PhD student Titus Wuermeling prepares samples at the bench.
Equipment
- Opentrons Flex Robot liquid-handling workstation with 96-well plates for parallel preparation of different antibody-antigen sample combinations
- ElioDX™ Reader R24.3 for high-precision, real-time, wash-free immunoassays
- 3X Lino Biotech AG (a Miltenyi Biotec company) focal molography readers
- 2X Fida 1 Systems (Fidabio) for flow-induced dispersion analysis (in-solution kinetics), with the capability to measure at different wavelengths
- FortéBio Octet Red96e (Sartorius) biolayer interferometry (BLI) analyser
- Gator Prime biolayer interferometry (BLI) analyser
- Biacore X100 (Cytivia) two-flow-cell surface plasmon resonance (SPR) system
- MP-SPR Nali (BioNavis) multi-parametric surface plasmon resonance for real-time analysis of biomolecular interactions and material properties
- ITC200 (Malvern) for isothermal titration calorimetry
Contact
Prof. Dr. Dominik Meinel
- Phone
- +41 61 228 62 56
- dominik.meinel@fhnw.ch
