In early 2011 Prozomix began the development of proprietary high-throughput cloning technology in response to the ever increasing requirement for larger numbers of non-engineered natural (native) biocatalysis enzymes (KREDs / ADHs / EREDs / nitrilases / NHases / P450s, etc). This early work was supported by the Technology Strategy Board (TSB), by way of a Technology-Inspired Innovation Feasibility Study Grant.
It was during this ambitious research and development excercise, where 53 novel ketoreductase enzymes were developed in just 12 weeks, that the Prozomix GRASP™ High-throughput Cloning approach was devised.
12 months later, proprietary GRASP™ methodology has resulted in rapid expansion of the Prozomix Biocatalysis Enzyme Toolkit to approx. 200 biocatalyst over all common classes of catalyst.
Prozomix is now marking the first anniversary of GRASP™ with a 3-month in-house project that will see the cloning of 1000 biocatalyst encoding genes. These enzymes, carefully selected courtesy of the perpetual expansion of the Genomics database in order to evenly sample natural diversity, will make a significant contribution in this expanding area of industrial biotechnology, and further cement the global position of Prozomix as a cost-effective provider of Biocatalysis solutions. The resultant expanded Biocatalaysis Enzyme Toolbox will be available in late 2012 to all customers.
Please contact info@prozomix.com for further information.
Prozomix has combined its large scale fermentation, tangential flow filtration, and freeze-drying capacity, with a long history of working with enzymes of diverse nature, to offer cost-effective “Application-grade” recombinant enzyme preparations. Enzymes can be selected from the Prozomix product database, produced from a customer’s own plasmid, or developed specifically, if no expression construct is currently available. The latter service typically involves no additional cost for genes present within the large Prozomix genome sequenced strain collection (if not, a small additional charge of approx. US$500 may apply, dependent on target enzyme). Typical lead times are less than 30 days where an expression construct already exists, or less than 45 days where one needs to be developed.
10 g of enzyme (crude freeze-dried powder) US$3000
10 g of enzyme (purified powder) US$3500
NOTE: both grades are sold strictly on a “not for re-sale” basis only.
Please contact us to request a quotation or for further information.
Prozomix has been awarded a highly competitive Technology Strategy Board (TSB) Grant for the development of leading-edge Biocatalysis enzyme technology. This work will see a novel panel of 200-300 aldo-keto reductase (AKR; ketoreductase; KRED) enzymes rapidly developed, using advanced methods, including rational sequence space exploration and high-throughput cloning methodologies. The new enzymes have been designed not only to enable effective screening over the accessible specificity topology of this important class of catalyst, but also to be generally amenable to Biocatalysis applications.
This new panel will be commercially available by mid/late 2011 in many user-orientated formats, including as part of the Prozomix Biocatalysis Enzyme Toolkit.
Prozomix has obtained a 3-year Environmental Sustainability KTN PhD research grant to look into new Green-chemistry related recombinant enzyme technology. Green-chemistry methodologies, such as biocatalysis, utilise less organic solvents, heavy metals and energy, in addition to offering rapid and efficient organic synthesis routes, and are thus in demand by an ever increasing number of commercial and academic customers the World round. It is not just the green credentials that make this technique so popular, as the technology is often significantly cheaper to employ, with respect to traditional multi-step organic syntheses, and / or in some cases simply enables reactions to be performed that were not feasible using traditional chemistry.
This studentship will focus on the discovery and characterisation of novel P450 enzymes. These catalysts perform numerous oxidative transformations, such as of inactivated C-C bonds, and their specificity over chemical methods, as with other biocatalysis reactions, makes them very powerful tools for today’s synthetic organic chemist. Another biocatalysis studentship running at the same time, funded wholly by Prozomix, will see research performed into extremophilic oxidoreductases.
The research student will be based at both Prozomix, in Haltwhistle, Northumberland, and Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, during their studies, enabling both the academic and applied side of biocatalysis to be experienced.
The studentship will begin anytime between March and October 2011, and will be advertised by Northumbria University in early February, 2011. In the interim, any interested party should contact Prozomix for further information:
Prozomix Limited
Station Court
Haltwhistle
Northumberland
NE49 9HN UK
Tel: + 44 (0) 1434 400455
Fax: + 44 (0) 1434 322822
info@prozomix.com
www.prozomix.com
Prozomix has launched a range of quality enzyme cofactors at the best prices available, for analytical, biochemical research, biocatalysis, and other applications. Large number of pack sizes available, from 100 mg to 1 kg, for example:
NADPH – just £25 for 100 mg !!!
NADH – just £7 for 100 mg !!!
NADP – just £7.5 for 100 mg !!!
NAD – just £5 for 100 mg !!!
Very cost-effective enzyme cofactor kits, ideal for general research applications, are also available, offering 0.1 g, 1 g or 5 g of each cofactor (NADPH / NADH, NADP+ and NAD+), for example:
Enzyme Cofactor Kits – 100 mg of each cofactor for just £42 !!!
Prozomix is offering a 3-year PhD Studentship in conjunction with Northumbria University (“Thermostable Aldo/keto Reductases for Organic Synthesis”) – ref: RS10-APS13
Biocatalysis is becoming the workhorse of the synthetic chemist’s toolbox for chiral chemistry due to the inherent chiral selectivity of enzymes, and the green credentials of their status as low toxicity and low/zero metal content reagents. Whilst much biocatalysis research and development work has been on gram scale processes, the use of aldo/keto reductases in the production of chiral alcohols has been one of the major successes in the scale up of biocatalytic processes to multi-ton scale plant production due to its use in the production of intermediates for such compounds as the blockbuster drug atorvastatin. Improvements in such fundamental properties as stability or thermal or solvent tolerance can hence lead to almost immediate process improvements on multi-ton manufacturing scale.
This proposed project investigates biocatalysts from thermophilic microbes to address this problem for a particular family of enzymes, the aldo/keto reductases, but the key results will be applicable to the expression and utilisation of other commercially valuable enzymes used in bulk production (for example, hydrolytic enzymes such as lipases, esterases and nitrilases which along with these reductases make up the overwhelming majority of operating large scale biocatalytic methods).
For further information:
http://www.northumbria.ac.uk/researchstudentships
Applications should be submitted to:
Linda Barlow at sz.researchadmin@northumbria.ac.uk or
School of Applied Sciences
D111,Ellison Building
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 8ST
Deadline for applications: 6 pm 16 August 2010.
Industrial enzymes generally offer very high enzyme activities very cost-effectively. These un-purified enzyme preparations are thus especially suited to applied research, such as in the food or bioethanol industry. Purchasing industrial enzymes in research quantities directly from the manufacturer can be, however, time consuming, expensive and involve long lead times.
The Prozomix range of off-the-shelf industrial enzymes overcomes these issues, by offering research quantities with next day delivery (UPS Express Saver) to most locations in the world.
Should industrial quantities be desired, these can be either ordered directly from the manufacturer, whose contact details can be found on the respective product specification sheets, or via Prozomix (please send queries to sales@prozomix.com).
For any queries regarding the range of industrial enzymes, or highly purified recombinant enzymes, supplied by Prozomix, please email technical@prozomix.com.
Prozomix now offers a unique custom-made enzyme service to provide 100 mg of any* purified recombinant enzyme for £450! A specific enzyme(s) can be identified by the customer, or a choice of targets (generated by bioinformatics searches, and checked for existing IP) suggested by Prozomix free-of-charge. In all cases, the following conditions will apply:
- Where it is not possible to provide 100 mg of the enzyme within 8 weeks, no charge will apply, and the customer will be informed immediately
- Generally the enzyme will be available after 4-6 weeks, however, where certain technical issues are exprienced, up to 8 weeks (total elapsed time) may be required to complete the service
- Most enzyme assays will be performed free-of-charge in order to confirm enzyme activity before shipping. However, where an associated enzyme assay is either prohibitively expensive, or for technical or safety reasons can not be perfomed at Prozomix, a solution (e.g. a specific substrate is provided to Prozomix by the customer) will be negotiated before service work commences
- This service is offered for enzymes of microbial origin only, or from other higher organisms where agreed in writing (please contact technical@prozomix.com)
*5. The offer of 100 mg for £450 is for enzymes of up to 30 kDa in size. An additional charge of £50 applies for larger enzymes per extra 10 kDa of molecular mass (i.e. 100 mg of a 50 kDa enzyme would be £450 + (2 x £50) = £550)
- The service is for 100 mg of purified recombinant enzyme ONLY, and in particular:
i. No clone/plasmid will be provided to the customer (all such materials will be the sole property of Prozomix at all stages of the service, and after the service has been provided)
ii. No enzyme production information will be provided
iii. After the service has been completed, the enzyme will be added to the general Prozomix product database, where other pack sizes will also become available in addition to 100 mg for £450 (specifically 1 mg for £10 and 10 mg for £75). Note: all subsequent proceeds from the sale of the enzyme will belong entirely to Prozomix
(b) Bespoke Enzyme / Protein Service
Where the above “Custom-made Enzyme Service” does not meet your exact requirements, a bespoke and totally flexible purified enzyme / protein production service is available from Prozomix. This service is also offered on a “no find, no fee” basis, and is expanded to include both native and recombinant enzymes / proteins.
How your project might look:
Step 1. Customer sends email to technical@prozomix.com detailing the desired quantity and enzyme activity, and any other details:
e.g. Please provide a quote for the production of 100 mg of a secondary alcohol dehydrogenase (not from L. brevis)
Step 2. Within 24 hours, email sent back to customer with various options and prices:
e.g. We can offer you 100 mg of a secondary alcohol dehydrogenase that is either 91 %, 73 %, 49 % or 35 % identical to the enzyme from L. brevis. In each case, the lead time will be 4-8 weeks, and the price would be:
a. £900 for 100 mg as either whole cells or unpurified cell-free extract (CFE), and details of the enzyme (microbial source, amino acid sequence, associated literature)
b. £950 for 100 mg of purified enzyme, and details of the enzyme (microbial source, amino acid sequence, associated literature)
c. £1950 for 100 mg of purified enzyme and the expression construct (with all necessary protein expression / purification protocols), and all details of the enzyme (microbial source, amino acid sequence, associated literature, etc)
Step 3. Customer chooses level of service:
e.g. Please quote for 100 mg of both the 73 % and 35 % identical targets as CFEs.
Step 4. Within 24 hours, email sent back to customer with detailed quote and prices:
e.g. The total price for the two enzymes will be £900 x 2 = £1800, less £100 discount = £1700.
Step 5. Customer accepts offer by email and receives weekly updates regarding progress of the order. The two enzymes are shipped to the customer (at no further charge) within 6 weeks of the first email being sent.
For any further details regarding any of the enzyme services available from Prozomix, please contact technical@prozomix.com.
Over the last 15 years the CAZy (Carbohydrate-Active EnZymes)database (http://www.cazy.org/), that describes the families of structurally-related catalytic and carbohydrate-binding modules (or functional domains) of enzymes that degrade, modify, or create glycosidic bonds, has been continually developed. As family membership is based on the analysis of amino acid sequence, the CAZy database continues to prove especially invaluable as a research tool with respect to the ever increasing amount of genomic information relating to carbohydrate metabolism. Not surprisingly then, CAZy nomenclature achieved rapid adoption by the research community and has become a norm when describing carbohydrate-active enzymes.
For these reasons we are especially delighted to note that the most recent CAZy release (09/03/09 update), offers links from each family of glycoside hydrolase (GH), glycosyltransferase (GT), polysaccharide lyase (PL), carbohydrate esterase (CE), and carbohydrate binding module (CBM), for which we offer a product, directly to a Prozomix product listing for those families (see example). Such links, designed to facilitate access to commercially available Carbohydrate-Active Enzymes using CAZy nomenclature, were in part enabled by the policy of Prozomix to make amino acid sequences freely available for all our recombinant products. Indeed, in addition to primary sequence availability and comprehensive product filtering options (for example down to the recently defined CAZy subfamily level – see GH13 web page for an example), the Prozomix product database is also BLAST searchable, offering the most transparent view of recombinant enzyme and protein products.
For further information regarding CAZy contact: cazy@afmb.univ-mrs.fr
For further information regarding Prozomix contact: info@prozomix.com
In order to give the best possible service to the research community, the Prozomix web site now features a visible product development pipeline. The problem is that as we are developing so many products at any one time, some of them will take months to hit the market. However, by using this interactive feature, should a particular recombinant enzyme / protein product(s) under development be interesting to you, with just the click of mouse, you can request that particular line(s) be fast-tracked. In some cases that will mean availability in the following week.