High affinity protein surface binding through co-engineering of nanoparticles and proteins

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Protein Engineering

Background:

• Controlling nanoparticle-protein interactions is crucial for therapeutics and sensors.
• Current methods often rely on affinity tags, limiting versatility.
• Achieving high affinity is difficult due to dielectric screening at physiological conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a versatile strategy for high-affinity nanoparticle-protein binding.
• To overcome limitations of dielectric screening in physiological environments.
• To enable advanced applications in nanomedicine and biosensing.

Main Methods:

• Co-engineering of nanoparticles and proteins.
• Utilizing 'supercharged' proteins for enhanced electrostatic interactions.
• Complementary charging of nanoparticles and proteins.
• Computational modeling to identify binding drivers.

Main Results:

• Achieved high-affinity nanoparticle-protein complexes.
• Demonstrated effective binding at physiologically relevant ionic strengths.
• Identified both hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions as key drivers.

Conclusions:

• Co-engineered nanoparticle-protein systems offer a robust platform for high-affinity interactions.
• This approach provides a versatile alternative to traditional tag-based methods.
• Enables new possibilities for targeted drug delivery and advanced biosensors.