New platform transforms protein evolution for next-gen therapies

Australian scientists have unveiled a protein engineering platform that could offer a more effective way to design medical treatments tailored to the human body, Sydney-based Centenary Institute said on Thursday.

A news release from the Centenary Institute said on Thursday that scientists from the institute, in partnership with the University of Sydney, believe the new platform could help drive future advances in gene therapy, disease research and next-generation medical treatments.

The study introduces PROTEUS (PROTein Evolution Using Selection), a cutting-edge platform that enables directed evolution of proteins within mammalian cells, a significant leap beyond traditional methods that rely on bacteria or yeast, it said.

"Directed evolution is a powerful method for developing proteins with specific properties, but it's usually done in bacteria or yeast, which don't replicate the complexity of human cells," said Daniel Hesselson, the study's joint senior author and head of the Center for Biomedical AI at the Centenary Institute.

PROTEUS brings this process into mammalian cells, creating a more relevant environment for therapeutic development, Hesselson said, adding the platform uses virus-like particles to induce mutations and select proteins with enhanced function, all without harming the host cells.

In early demonstrations, researchers improved a gene-regulating protein and evolved a nano-body that detects DNA damage, a key factor in cancer research, said the study which has been published in Nature Communications.

"By bringing directed evolution into mammalian cells, PROTEUS is opening the door to developing new therapies that are more effective and designed to function where they're needed, in the human body," said Alex Cole, the study's joint first author from the Centenary Institute's Center for Biomedical AI.