Medical Research Council

454 Life Sciences Corporation

Dan S Tawfik

Andrew David Griffiths

Gregory Paul Winter

Dario Neri

Francesca Viti

Salvatore Demartis

Adrian Huber

Armin Sepp

The invention describes a method for isolating one or more genetic elements encoding a gene product having a desired activity, comprising of the steps of: (a) compartmentalizing genetic elements into microcapsules; (b) expressing the genetic elements to produce their respective gene products within the microcapsules; (c) sorting the genetic elements which produce the gene product having a desired activity. The invention enables the in vitro evolution of nucleic acids by repeated mutagenesis and iterative applications of the method of the invention.

In vitro sorting method

The invention describes a method for isolating one or more genetic elements encoding a gene product having a desired activity, comprising of the steps of: (a) compartmentalising genetic elements into microcapsules; (b) expressing the genetic elements to produce their respective gene products within the microcapsules; (c) sorting the genetic elements which produce the gene product having a desired activity. The invention enables the in vitro evolution of nucleic acids by repeated mutagenesis and iterative applications of the method of the invention.

The invention describes a method for isolating one or more genetic elements encoding a gene product having a desired activity, comprising the steps of: (a) compartmentalising genetic elements into microcapsules; (b) expressing the genetic elements to produce their respective gene products within the microcapsules; (c) sorting the genetic elements which produce the gene product having the desired activity using a change in the optical properties of the genetic elements. The invention enables the in vitro evolution of nucleic acids and proteins by repeated mutagenesis and iterative applications of the method of the invention.

Optical sorting method

The invention describes a method for isolating one or more genetic elements encoding a gene product having a desired activity, comprising of the steps of: (a) compartmentalising genetic elements into microcapsules; (b) expressing the genetic elements to produce their respective gene products within the microcapsules; (c) sorting the genetic elements which produce the gene product having a desired activity.

IN vitro sorting method

A method for isolating the DNA encoding an enzyme is presented. The DNA is contained within a support to which the enzyme is linked, wherein the enzyme is further linked to a substrate. When the enzyme reacts with the substrate, the product remains linked to the enzyme. The product linked to the enzyme which is linked to the support containing the DNA encoding the enzyme is isolated, thereby isolating the DNA encoding the enzyme. In this manner an expression library of enzymes produced by mutagenesis can be screened for mutated active enzyme, and thereby obtain the mutated DNA encoding the mutated active enzyme.

Method for isolating the DNA encoding an enzyme

The invention relates to a method for isolating one or more genetic elements encoding a gene product having a desired activity, comprising the steps of: (a) compartmentalising genetic elements into microcapsules; (b) expressing the genetic elements to produce their respective gene products within the microcapsules; (c) sorting the genetic elements which produce the gene product having a desired activity. The invention permits the in vitro evolution of nucleic acids by repeated mutagenesis and iterative applications of the method of the invention.

The present invention relates to a method of isolating an enzyme having a desired chemical or biological activity, the method comprising linking the enzyme to a substrate for the enzyme, reacting the enzyme and substrate such that a product is produced which remains linked to the enzyme and isolating the enzyme by selectively isolating the product linked to the enzyme.

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Cambridge, United Kingdom

Dan S Tawfik