Grant: Idea to Innovation

The global protein purification and isolation market size was valued at USD 8.29 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.6% from 2022 to 2032 reaching about 17.41 billion by the end of 2032. Drug discovery relies on the structural information of a protein to predict its potential efficacy. Common technologies used during this process include mass spectroscopy, amino acid sequencing, x-ray crystallography, nuclear magnetic resonance, and surface plasmon resonance. Most of these methods require highly purified protein samples, often in large quantities ranging from ug to mg. However, current state-of-the-art purification technologies operate in batch modes rather than continuous, thereby limiting their throughput. Furthermore, they may require harsh solvents or detergents that will damage the protein or alter its structural properties. This research team has developed a novel high-performance, scalable and cost-effective protein purification system that enables the separation and collection of large quantities of proteins (e.g., 1 mg) from complex mixtures in a significantly short period of time (i.e., a few hours instead of current state-of-the-art's capability of 20 days for half this quantity - 0.5 mg) while preserving their bioactivity. Feedback and raw protein samples from the external partners including Advanced Electrophoresis Solutions Ltd. (Cambridge, ON), OcuBlink Inc. (Waterloo, ON), Liberum Biotech (Kitchener, ON), and Precision Nanosystems (Vancouver, BC) will be used to develop further and validate our prototype. Preliminary testing of these proposed improvements in promising applications (protein manufacturing for drug discovery) will be performed in collaboration with our partners/potential customers. The results of the planned beta trials and application testing will help establish target market vertical(s), timing of a possible startup company's creation, and a go-to-market strategy.