Anima Cell Metrology Scientists Demonstrate Monitoring the Process of Protein Production From Within Living Cells

BERNARDSVILLE, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Anima Cell Metrology, Inc, a privately held company (“Anima”), announced today that in a series of recently conducted experiments it was able to monitor and image the process of protein production from within living cells, using fluorescent probes. Proteins are the "vehicles of life", a diverse family of biomolecules that perform most of the cellular processes. Proteins are also immensely important: most drugs act by binding to protein targets (Aspirin, antibiotics) or are proteins themselves (Insulin, Herceptin). However, the chemical diversity of proteins hinders their study, often requiring killing the cells before analysis. Anima’s new di-peptide (DiP) technology uses elements of the cell’s protein synthesis system, called transfer RNA (tRNA). Normally, these molecules carry the amino acids, which are the basic building blocks of proteins, to the ribosome, the protein synthesis factory of the cell. The ribosome then links the amino acids together in a specific order to form the required protein. In DiP, tRNAs are extracted, purified, fluorescently labeled, and introduced into the cells to be monitored. The labeled tRNAs now participate in the process of protein synthesis – broadcasting their actions, after being interrogated with a suitably equipped microscope.

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