We have designed and engineered a set of purification-enabling mutations into specific regions of multispecific antibody chains which enables a highly effective, rapid and high-throughput, all affinity-based purification scheme for many different formats. This innovation can help accelerate the early identification of lead candidate molecules in research by allowing simple and fast isolation of highly pure material from mixtures of product-related impurities

Magnetic beads have become a common tool for the rapid affinity purification of a wide range of target proteins. We have now combined our self-removing affinity tag with a magnetic core to provide a highly effective platform for quickly purifying tagless proteins. This talk will cover several case studies on the purification of difficult protein targets by optimization of the tag and buffer components for optimal expression and stability.

Large-molecule biologics, such as monoclonal and multispecific antibodies, are often desired as potential therapeutics for many indications. Recent advances in automation have increased expression throughput for therapeutic candidates at research scale, but increasing purification throughput for high-quality samples remains a challenge, particularly for asymmetrical multispecific antibody formats. To address this challenge, a multi-dimensional chromatography system was configured to automate 2- and 3-step purification processes using the latest chromatography resins.

Novel labware, integrated automation, and optimized workflows now enable efficient, high-throughput production and purification of multispecific antibodies at multi-milligram scales. Recent advances remove long-standing bottlenecks in harvesting and purifying challenging antibody formats from midscale cultures, supporting seamless, end-to-end automation. These innovations accelerate discovery and development pipelines, advancing the automated manufacture of complex biologics previously limited by labor-intensive manual processes.

As multispecific protein therapeutics continue to increase in molecular complexity, the challenge has shifted to rapidly identifying which candidates are truly viable for advancement. In this talk, I will share new high-throughput purification and analytical tools we have implemented to accelerate early development of complex proteins. I will also highlight our data automation solutions that are essential to operating these tools at scale and translating throughput into actionable decisions. By integrating these capabilities earlier in the workflow, we have reduced cycle times, improved candidate assessment, and unlocked new development strategies for complex therapeutic modalities.

Our Ni²⁺-induced selective-precipitation technique enables rapid and high-yield purification of His-tagged recombinant proteins. In parallel, we developed short solubility-controlling peptide (SCP) tags—5-7 amino acid sequences—that promote solubilization or controlled oligomerization of proteins, facilitating their efficient production and purification. We are currently applying SCP tags to enhance the immunogenicity of small viral proteins, aiming to develop E. coli–expressed subunit vaccines that function without the need for adjuvants or complex delivery systems such as VLPs or nanoparticles. We illustrate the potential of this approach using proteins derived from Japanese encephalitis virus and coronaviruses.

Our strategy focuses on improving product quality during the expression phase to mitigate the contaminant profiles entering the purification stage. By employing mild elution Fc binding resin, we successfully reduced the purification process of complex antibodies from three steps to one, selectively eluting contaminants at different pH values. This optimized approach increases efficiency and ensures high product quality to enable rapid downstream characterization in supporting early discovery research.

The purification of Ab-based therapeutics has been simplified by protein-A and other affinity-based methods. Their increasing complexity necessitates downstream polishing steps via manual, customized, and labor-intensive processes to remove product-related contaminants that obfuscate assay execution and triaging. We describe a high-throughput purification platform to effect the production of 10+mgs of high-quality material, automating all aspects of chromatography, liquid-handling, and informatics for delivering >95% purity of material for 100+ molecules/week.

This presentation will explore how advancements in protein expression workflows are revolutionizing drug discovery. We will focus on how new expression technologies and automated, high-throughput platforms enable the rapid and parallelized production of a vast number of protein variants. These integrated workflows provide a robust, efficient, and scalable foundation for the development and characterization of next-generation therapeutic proteins, significantly accelerating the entire drug-discovery process.

Building the laboratory of the future involves space planning, integrating advanced automation, digital data management, and artificial intelligence to accelerate scientific discovery and streamline workflows. Emphasizing modular design and high-throughput capabilities, such laboratories enable seamless collaboration and rapid adaptability to evolving research needs. Enhanced connectivity, real-time data analysis, and scalable infrastructure ensure reproducibility and efficiency, positioning the lab as a dynamic hub for innovation in both foundational and translational science.

The Aero-Yield flask is a next-generation breathable shake flask fabricated from gas-permeable silicone, enabling oxygen influx and CO2 efflux across the entire surface via passive diffusion. This design increases oxygen flux by 58-fold and improves volumetric mass transfer coefficients (kLa) by up to 100%. Cultures of E. coli and Pichia pastoris showed biomass gains of 40–66% and protein yield improvements of 41–115%. With an oxygen-enriched jacket, these gains rose to 81–156% and 76–140%, respectively. Specific growth rate in the jacketed flask was comparable to 3L bioreactors. Aero-Yield bridges the gap between flasks and expensive bioreactors, offering scalable, high-yield performance affordably.

This presentation will focus on incremental innovations implemented in our small but mighty protein-biochemistry group, highlighting both individual- and group-driven initiatives that have positively influenced productivity and scientific impact. Through this approach, our group has been able to streamline processes, enhance efficiency, and contribute to the development of novel CAR T cell therapies, demonstrating the significant impact that small, iterative improvements can have in a laboratory setting.