In vitro sorting method
AssigneeMedical Research Council
InventorsAndrew Griffiths, Dan Tawfik
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention relates to a method for isolating one or more genetic elements encoding a gene product having a desired activity, comprising the steps of: (a) compartmentalising genetic elements into microcapsules; (b) expressing the genetic elements to produce their respective gene products within the microcapsules; (c) sorting the genetic elements which produce the gene product having a desired activity. The invention permits the in vitro evolution of nucleic acids by repeated mutagenesis and iterative applications of the method of the invention.
Claims30
A method for isolating one or more genetic elements encoding a gene product having a desired activity, comprising the steps of:
- (a) compartmentalising genetic elements into microcapsules;
- (b) expressing said genetic elements to produce, within said microcapsules, gene products encoded by said genetic elements;
- and
- (c) sorting said genetic elements which produce a gene product or products having the desired activity.
A method for preparing a gene product, comprising the steps of:
- (a) preparing a genetic element encoding said gene product;
- (b) compartmentalising said genetic element into a microcapsule;
- (c) expressing said genetic element to produce, within the microcapsules, the gene product encoded by said genetic element;
- (d) sorting said genetic element which produces said gene product;
- and
- (e) expressing said gene product.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.