Dieter Soll

Title: Dieter Soll: Innovator in Protein Engineering

Introduction

Dieter Soll is a prominent inventor based in Guilford, CT (US), known for his significant contributions to the field of protein engineering. With a total of 9 patents, he has made remarkable advancements in the incorporation of non-naturally occurring amino acids into proteins.

Latest Patents

Dieter's latest patents include innovative compositions and methods for making selenocysteine-containing polypeptides. These patents disclose non-naturally occurring tRNA and methods for using them in the recombinant expression of proteins engineered to include one or more selenocysteine residues. The non-naturally occurring tRNA can be utilized for the recombinant manufacture of selenocysteine-containing polypeptides encoded by mRNA without the need for an SECIS element. In various embodiments, these polypeptides are produced by co-expressing a non-naturally occurring tRNA in a recombinant expression system, such as with SerRS, EF-Tu, SelA, or PSTK and SepSecS, along with an mRNA that has at least one codon recognizing the anticodon of the non-naturally occurring tRNA.

Another significant patent involves the site-specific incorporation of phosphoserine into proteins. This patent describes nucleic acids encoding mutant elongation factor proteins (EF-Sep), phosphoseryl-tRNA synthetase (SepRS), and phosphoseryl-tRNA, along with methods for their use in the site-specific incorporation of phosphoserine into proteins or polypeptides. The disclosed mutant EF-Sep proteins bind Sep-tRNA and protect it from deacylation. The nucleic acids are preferably expressed in various cell types, including bacterial, archaeal, and eukaryotic cells. The proteins or polypeptides produced through these methods have diverse applications, including research, antibody production, protein array manufacture, and the development of cell-based screens for new drug discovery.

Career Highlights

Dieter Soll's career is marked by his dedication to advancing the field of protein engineering. His work has led to numerous patents that have the potential to revolutionize how proteins are synthesized and utilized in various applications.

Collaborations

Dieter collaborates with notable colleagues, including Hee-Sung Park and Caroline Aldag, contributing to a dynamic research environment that fosters innovation and discovery