These are some notes of the call we have every two weeks with CCL (Oakland) and BioFoundry (Sydney) on Monday at 9am CET. Anyone is welcome to join in, just drop a line in this thread.
CCL has done the last round of lab work for a while, due to holidays.
They have a mixture of protein attached to insulin & gfp. When testing the mixture with gelelectrophoresis, they have one band (indication of the presence of a protein) that is the right size (40kDA) for the desired insulin-gfp-protein molecule, which is encouraging. However, they also have a band that is a bit shorter (30kDA).
They’ve been troubleshooting issues with the purification column. They want to research better ways for production now, so they will revise the construct for a better production process and higher yield. There are two new phd’ers on board who bring some fresh talent.
We (Belgium group) should get good yields of the gfp-insulin molecule a few days after we receive the shipment. The protocols have been thoroughly tested. CCL is preparing for shipping & sending over the protocols.
Remark on the IP: as far as Anthony knows, it’s more the formulation that’s patented (eg. how they make long acting insulin), rather than the production method. They are using a vector which might be protected (unsure) and the gfp might be as well. It’s worth checking out, especially for the next steps.
Anthony asked us to write a blog post to tell our story of why we participate, what we plan to do etc.