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AssigneeCenter for Blood Research, Inc.
InventorsTimothy Springer, Motomu Shimaoka, Chafen Lu
Estimating the term…
The present invention provides a method for stabilizing a protein in a desired conformation by introducing at least one disulfide bond into the polypeptide. Computational design is used to identify positions where cysteine residues can be introduced to form a disulfide bond in only one protein conformation, and therefore lock the protein in a given conformation. Accordingly, antibody and small molecule therapeutics are selected that are specific for the desired protein conformation. The invention also provides modified integrin I-domain polypeptides that are stabilized in a desired conformation. The invention further provides screening assays and therapeutic methods utilizing the modified integrin I-domains of the invention.
1-37. (canceled)
A method for stabilizing a polypeptide in a desired conformation, said method comprising introducing at least one disulfide bond into the polypeptide such that the polypeptide is stabilized in a desired conformation.
The method of claim 39, wherein the disulfide bond is formed by the introduction of at least one cysteine substitution into the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide.
43-72. (canceled)
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.