CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--One Cell Systems here was awarded a $400,000 Phase II Small Business Innovation Research grant from the National Science Foundation to develop a high-throughput method for screening transfected cells based on their level of protein secretion. The technology relies on the combination of microencapsulation using gel microdrops, a novel secreted protein capture format, and fluorescence-activated cell sorting. Live, intact, high secretor or rare cells are recovered for subsequent cloning in a streamlined one-day process.
One Cell Systems CEO Patricia McGrath said development of a high-throughput method for screening and recovering single cells based on the level of protein secretion is a major innovation. "Limiting dilution cloning is labor intensive and highly variable," she said. "Use of this novel secretion assay format will give biopharmaceutical companies a competitive advantage in rapidly moving products to commercialization."