Affimer

Affimer is a type of protein engineering technology that is used to generate high-affinity binding proteins. These proteins are small, stable, and easy to produce, making them ideal for a wide range of applications in biotechnology, diagnostics, and therapeutics.

History

The Affimer technology was developed by researchers at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom. The technology is based on the protein domains of the scaffold proteins known as adhirons. These proteins are found in the thermophilic bacterium Sac7d, which is known for its ability to withstand high temperatures.

Structure and Function

Affimers are composed of a stable protein scaffold that is derived from the adhiron protein. This scaffold is then modified with variable amino acid sequences that are designed to bind to specific target molecules. The variable regions of the Affimer protein are responsible for its high specificity and affinity for its target.

Affimers are typically composed of 80 amino acids, making them much smaller than antibodies, which are typically composed of around 1500 amino acids. This small size allows Affimers to penetrate tissues more effectively and bind to their targets more efficiently.

Applications

Affimer technology has a wide range of potential applications in the fields of biotechnology, diagnostics, and therapeutics. For example, Affimers can be used as biosensors to detect the presence of specific molecules in a sample. They can also be used in drug discovery to identify potential drug targets and to develop new therapeutic agents.

In the field of therapeutics, Affimers can be used to develop new drugs that can bind to and inhibit the function of specific target molecules. Because of their small size and high stability, Affimers can be used to develop drugs that can penetrate tissues more effectively and have a longer half-life in the body.

See Also

• Protein engineering
• Biosensors
• Drug discovery