Takashi Ebihara from GeneFrontier delivered a presentation on the advancements and applications of cell-free technologies, particularly focusing on PUREfrex. He began by introducing GeneFrontier, a Tokyo-based company committed to cell-free technology since 2010. Their mission was to inspire and change the world with PUREfrex, a unique approach to cell-free systems that utilised only necessary molecules for transcription and translation.
Ebihara explained that PUREfrex technology involved preparing each component separately, purifying them, and then rebuilding them in a tube. This method, published in Nature Biotech in 2001 by Professor Ueda from Tokyo University, had been upgraded and launched as PUREfrex. The rebuilt cell-free system allowed for easy addition or removal of elements, precise control of translation factors, chaperones, physical conditions like temperature and redox state, and incorporation of non-natural amino acids.
He highlighted the versatility and robustness of PUREfrex, which could express both eukaryotic and prokaryotic proteins, from small peptides to large molecules like beta-galactosidase or IgG. The system enabled simple purification and high productivity, with yields reaching up to one milligramme per millilitre. Ebihara emphasised the importance of DNA template design, particularly using AT-rich codons at the N-terminus to significantly increase yield.
Ebihara showcased various successful applications of PUREfrex, including the expression of antibodies, bispecific molecules, and functional insulin. He mentioned collaborations with academia and biotech companies like Bonum Therapeutics, Novo Nordisk, and Roche Diagnostics, which validated the system's effectiveness in producing therapeutic molecules and conducting high-throughput functional assays.
He concluded by emphasising PUREfrex's compatibility with AI machine learning approaches, its precise control and reproducibility at the molecular level, and its potential to revolutionise R&D in biotechnology. Ebihara invited attendees to visit GeneFrontier's booth for further discussions and thanked them for their attention.
