Overview
Protein interactions are at the basis of all cellular processes. This project from Dr. Philip Kim and Dr. Sachdev Sidhu at the University of Toronto is developing a novel technology platform and associated methodology that can probe such interactions in a high-throughput manner. They are combining oligonucleotide chips with combinatorial chemistry and computational methods to create a powerful technology that directly scans biologically relevant interactions. The team will create novel software that will allow custom design of oligonucleotide sequences that encode for large numbers of different protein fragments. Custom oligonucleotide chips will be ordered and used to generate the specifically designed protein fragments. Finally they will establish protocols for making and assessing the binding of hundreds of protein fragments. This is the first time oligonucleotide chips have been used in this fashion. Initially, this project will test proteins involved in cancer, which could lead to new insights for cancer therapy. Furthermore, the platform is particularly well suited to test interactions between viral or bacterial proteins and their human targets. This project will result in new insights into the biology of viral infections and novel routes to treatment. Project deliverables are the completed technology platform as well as completed libraries suited for detection of interactions for both human and viral proteins.