From Bead to Flask: Synthesis of a Complex ß-amido-amide for Probe-Development Studies

Proteins and their behaviour are crucial to understanding how diseases develop, identifying the way that drugs interact with their targets, and developing new methods for matching the right treatment to the right patient at the right time.

Many life-saving medicines, including insulin, antibodies and vaccines, are derived from living cells. These “biologics” can be difficult to obtain and store on the battlefield or in remote areas. That’s why scientists are trying to develop portable systems that can quickly manufacture small batches of protein therapeutics on demand.

A UCLA-led team of scientists has developed a new technique that will enable researchers to easily and quickly determine the structures of organic molecules using very small samples.