Focused Acoustic Energy for Protein Complex Disassociation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing protein depletion methods can undesirably remove proteins of interest by disrupting complexes, leading to the loss of low-abundance proteins and metabolites, especially when high-abundance proteins are depleted.
Innovation Solution
The use of focused acoustic energy to disassociate proteins and metabolites from complexes without damaging them, allowing for the recovery and analysis of low-abundance proteins and metabolites while efficiently depleting high-abundance proteins.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional depletion methods (precipitation, immunoaffinity) are used to remove high-abundance proteins, then depletion efficiency is improved, but low-abundance proteins and metabolites are lost due to complex disruption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies focused acoustic energy (ultrasound) to induce mechanical vibration and cavitation in the sample. This mechanical vibration selectively disrupts protein complexes and releases low-abundance proteins and metabolites from binding to high-abundance proteins, preventing their loss during subsequent depletion steps while maintaining high depletion efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs acoustic treatment as a preliminary step before depletion. By applying focused acoustic energy to release low-abundance proteins and metabolites from complexes in advance, the method ensures these substances remain available for recovery during the depletion process, rather than being lost when complexes are disrupted by conventional methods.
2Productivity
If harsh solvents or high temperatures are used to disassociate protein complexes, then disassociation efficiency is improved, but protein and metabolite damage occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces chemical methods (harsh solvents) and thermal methods (high temperatures) with a mechanical approach using focused acoustic energy. The ultrasound-induced mechanical vibration and cavitation effectively disassociate protein complexes without the damaging effects of chemicals or heat, preserving the integrity of proteins and metabolites.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses mechanical vibration from focused acoustic energy to disassociate protein complexes. This mechanical approach achieves effective disassociation without introducing harmful chemical or thermal factors that would damage the proteins and metabolites, unlike conventional methods using harsh solvents or high temperatures.
3Stability of the object's composition
If low-abundance proteins are present in complexes with high-abundance proteins, then complex stability is improved, but detection precision of low-abundance proteins deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies acoustic energy as a preliminary treatment to disrupt complexes and release low-abundance proteins before analysis. This preliminary action separates the low-abundance proteins from high-abundance protein complexes, improving their detectability without requiring changes to the detection methodology itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts low-abundance proteins from protein complexes using focused acoustic energy. By taking out the low-abundance proteins from their complexes with high-abundance proteins, the method enables their separate detection and analysis, improving measurement precision while the complexes themselves remain stable in terms of their natural binding interactions.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Focused acoustic energy effectively increases the recovery rate of low-abundance proteins and metabolites, enhances their identification and analysis, and improves the depletion efficiency of high-abundance proteins, all without using harsh solvents or high temperatures.
Implementation Method 1
The sample is exposed to focused acoustic energy to disrupt the plurality of complexes and disassociate the first protein from the second protein of each of the complexes
Implementation Method 2
The proteins can be disassociated using focused acoustic energy
Data Source
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AI summary
Apparatus and method for disassociating protein complexes, e.g., to allow recovery and/or analysis of at least one of the proteins or metabolites released from a complex. Disassociation is done using focused acoustic energy and without solvents, excessive heat or other process conditions that damage proteins or metabolites. Disassociation may be followed by depletion of one of the proteins released from complexes, e.g., to allow another protein or metabolite released from the complexes to be recovered.