Patent Spotlight: Cleavage Resistant Green Fluorescent Protein

A University of Arkansas researcher has engineered a new form of "green fluorescent protein," better known as GFP. The breakthrough has the potential to significantly reduce the number of steps required to remove GFP from a labeled molecule as well as decrease costs for pharmaceutical manufacturers and researchers in fields such as biotechnology, medicine and pharmacology.

The new form of GFP was engineered by Rudra Mukherjee, his advisor and a team consisting of Bob Beitle, professor of engineering and associate vice chancellor for research and innovation, Josh Sakon and Suresh Thallapuranam, professors of chemistry and biochemistry.

GFP, which exists naturally in jellyfish, can be used to label or tag many different molecules, including proteins. The GFP tag has been used in a wide array of applications in gene expression, biosensors, performance of synthetic genetic circuits and localization of proteins. Proteins tagged with GFP will glow when exposed to ultraviolet light, allowing them to be identified and separated from other proteins. It is often necessary to then remove the tag from the isolated molecule for further use. This GFP removal step is traditionally a very expensive undertaking. The newly engineered GFP is much easier to separate from the target molecules, which drastically decreases the cost to purify a target protein or peptide. Go to the Enhanced Green Florescent Protein vector page to learn how to purchase this technology. 

About the University of Arkansas Technology Ventures: The University of Arkansas Technology Ventures has recently initiated a program to commercialize a wide range of research tools, whether patented or not. Technology Ventures manages, protects and commercializes the intellectual property portfolio of the University of Arkansas. Technology Ventures serves the university's faculty, staff and students as well as external inventors and entrepreneurs to disseminate knowledge, technology and products to the public market to generate revenue and future research support. In this way, we also serve the public as it is our responsibility to enable public utilization of products derived from university research.