Protein Technologies Center

The Protein Technologies Center (PTC) serves as a specialized resource within the Department of Structural Biology. Fully operational since 2019, the PTC integrates biochemical and structural methodologies, including cloning, protein expression and purification, biochemical and biophysical characterization, as well as structure determination.

The goal of PTC is to serve as a structural biology conduit for understanding disease mechanisms and biological processes. Biological systems are complex, and proteins play a crucial role in orchestrating this complexity. Even a tiny change in a single macromolecule or a minor regulatory switch can significantly affect an organism or population. PTC's collaborative efforts have supported several projects across the hospital; these efforts helped unravel the intricacies of biology by determining macromolecular structures, understanding their interactions with ligands and elucidating their roles in human diseases.

The PTC employs expert scientists with extensive experience in gene cloning, protein production, purification, biophysical characterization and structure determination. The staff possesses specialized expertise in high-throughput technologies, purification of membrane proteins and multi-protein complexes and structure determination using single-particle cryo-electron microscopy. Additional capabilities include assessing protein oligomeric state via analytical ultracentrifugation, evaluating mass distribution and heterogeneity using mass photometry, determining absolute molecular weight through light scattering and analyzing binding kinetics and affinity using surface plasmon resonance, microscale thermophoresis and isothermal titration calorimetry. The PTC is committed to providing comprehensive training and support for researchers requiring biophysical characterization.