Medical Research Council

Cambridge Enterprise Limited

United Kingdom Research and Innovation

Sphere Fluidics Limited

Astex Technology Limited

Chris Abell

Andrew David Griffiths

Enrico Mastrobattista

Florian Hollfelder

Wilhelm T S Huck

Frank F Craig

Graeme Whyte

Tom L Blundell

Frank Von Delft

Luis M Fidalgo

Daniel Bratton

Whyte Graeme

Wilhelm TS Huck

The invention describes a method for the identification of compounds which bind to a target component of a biochemical system or modulate the activity of the target, by compartmentalizing the compounds into microcapsules together with the target, such that only a subset of the repertoire is represented in multiple copies in any one microcapsules; and identifying the compound which binds to or modulates the activity of the target. The invention enables the screening of large repertoires of molecules which can serve as leads for drug development.

Selection by compartmentalized screening

Methods for use in the synthesis and identification of molecules which bind to a target component of a biological system or modulate the activity of a target are described.

Method of synthesis and testing of combinatorial libraries using microcapsules

Selection by compartmentalised screening

The invention describes a method for the identification of compounds which bind to a target component of a biochemical system or modulate the activity of the target, comprising the steps of: a.) compartmentalizing the compounds into microcapsules together with the target, such that only a subset of the repertoire is represented in multiple copies in any one microcapsules; and b.) identifying the compound which binds to or modulates the activity of the target. The invention enables the screening of large repertoires of molecules which can serve as leads for drug development.

This invention relates to methods and systems for providing chemical and/or biological materials. Thus we describe a method of providing a chemical or biological material in a quantized form, the method comprising: preparing an emulsion comprising a plurality of microdroplets each holding a controlled amount of said material; storing said chemical or biological material in said microdroplets in said emulsion; transferring a portion of said emulsion microdroplets to a container for transportation; transporting said container to a user of said material, wherein said user receives said material in a quantized form in said microdroplets of said emulsion; and de-emulsifying said received microdroplets containing said material in quantized form to extract said material for subsequent use.

Method of providing a chemical or biological material in quantised form and system therefor

This invention relates to microfluidic systems and more particularly to methods and apparatus for accessing the contents of micro droplets () in an emulsion stream. A method of accessing the contents of a droplet () of an emulsion in a microfluidic system, the method comprising: flowing the emulsion alongside a continuous, non-emulsive stream of second fluid () to provide an interface () between said emulsion and said stream of second fluid (); and in embodiments applying one or both of an electric () and magnetic field across said interface () to alter a trajectory of a said droplet () of said emulsion to cause said droplet to coalesce with said stream of second fluid (); and accessing said contents of said droplet () in said second stream ().

Microfluidic systems

The invention describes a method for the synthesis of compounds comprising the steps of: (a) compartmentalizing two or more sets of primary compounds into microcapsules; such that a proportion of the microcapsules contains two or more compounds; and (b) forming secondary compounds in the microcapsules by chemical reactions between primary compounds from different sets. The invention further allows for the identification of compounds which bind to a target component of a biochemical system or modulate the activity of the target, and which is co-compartmentalized into the microcapsules.

Protein crystal structure and method for identifying protein modulators

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Cambridge, United Kingdom

Chris Abell