A top laboratory equipment supplier is ‘keeping it local’ with the first ever installation of its pioneering system at the University of East Anglia (UEA).
Vapourtec’s peptide builder is designed for use in new drug research and development.
Peptides form crucial building blocks for nearly all our bodily functions and are a common ingredient in supplements and topical products such as creams, gels and sprays.
The Vapourtec system – the result of years of research and development in close liaison with peptide scientists around the world – offers the potential for far-reaching, new pharmaceutical peptide discoveries.
Following the installation of the first production Peptide-Builder at the UEA, Chief Scientific Officer, Dr Manuel Nuño, led a comprehensive two-day hands-on training session with Professor Mark Searcey and Dr Andrew Beekman’s research teams.
During the session, the groups successfully synthesized 16-mer, 23-mer and 35-mer peptides, demonstrating the Peptide-Builder’s reliability, intuitive operation, and the power of real-time monitoring to deliver valuable insights into reaction performance and optimisation.
“Seeing the first production Peptide-Builder in operation at UEA is a proud moment for the Vapourtec team,” said Dr Nuño. “It represents years of development and close collaboration with peptide scientists”.
Dr Andrew Beekman commented: ““We are very excited to begin using the Peptide-Builder in our research. The ability to monitor synthesis in real time, obtain detailed reaction data and queue up to 16 peptides for automated synthesis will be a great addition to our peptide synthesis workflow.”
Professor Searcey’s group will now integrate the Peptide-Builder into their ongoing investigations of novel peptides that target DNA and protein–protein interactions – research that could help unlock new anticancer, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory therapeutics.
Dr Nuño concluded: “We’re excited to support UEA as they begin this next phase of peptide synthesis research.”
