OUR TECHNOLOGY

A rapid protein prototyping platform combining cell-free protein expression with digital microfluidics

Nuclera's eProtein Discovery™ places rapid protein prototyping technology at your fingertips so you can make progress on your protein projects.

Time and resources are on your side

There is an urgent, ever-expanding need for generating soluble and active proteins to be used for downstream high throughput screening in drug discovery. Obtaining soluble protein constructs using cell based approaches can be time-consuming, costly, and requires tremendous resources. We make this easy by combining unique cell-free technologies and novel digital microfluidics, turning protein access into a Pipette and Forget^TM workflow that transforms weeks into days.

Speed up target identification

Simultaneously analyze 192 construct & expression conditions to find the winners for scale up.

Produce proteins on your terms

Purify 20-500 μg of your functional, fit-for-purpose protein yourself, today!

Explore multiple protein variations

Screen protein isoforms, mutations, and more for simplified target identification.

Step forward with confidence

Assess the feasibility of your project by quickly testing candidate proteins.

eProtein Discovery™: How the protein prototyping platform works

Cell-free Protein Synthesis

Express proteins in vitro without cells to bypass cellular constraints and move fast. Each reaction combines your DNA construct with purified cellular translational machinery. Run 8 cell-free expression conditions per screen and tune each with up to two additives (e.g., nanodiscs, detergents, chaperones, cofactors, redox) to improve folding, stability, solubility, and function, even for challenging membrane proteins.

Take high throughput bioreactors, liquid handlers and purification columns out of the equation. Identify optimal expression conditions in a day with our cell-free protein synthesis solution!

Protein Detection

When you convert the cDNA for your protein of interest into an eProtein Discovery™ ready construct with our eGene™ Prep Kit, a sequence coding for a small peptide detection tag is installed.

After expression of the eGene™ on the instrument, a detector protein is added that binds to the detection tag and becomes fluorescent. The optical system within the instrument measures fluorescence intensity and converts the reading into what matters to you - protein concentration.

Microfluidics-based Smart Cartridges

eProtein Discovery^TM operates with a digital microfluidics lab-on-a-cartridge designed to allow droplets of DNA to split, mix, and move within the smart cartridge.

Based on rapid digital signals, and with the help of eProtein Discovery^TM reagents, our software-controlled technology effectively turns DNA constructs into proteins for further characterization.

Covering 8 cell-free expression systems, our programmable microfluidics-based smart cartridges provide the features of complex cellular machinery with minimal time, effort, and resources.

Software and eProtein^TM Report

Decision-grade data in the cloud

The eProtein Discovery Cloud Software delivers exportable reports and contains advanced data analytics covering solubility, expression level, purifiability, and yield. Access all the data to review ranked heatmaps, pick winners, and plan µg–mg scale-up—on site or remotely.

Our system, your own terms

The eProtein Discovery^TM solution, including integrated software, gets protein in your hand quicker than ever before. With our cell-free protein synthesis reagents and microfluidics-based smart cartridges, it all happens on your own benchtop, in your way.