Patent ID: 6849458
Filing Date: 2005-02-01
Classification: B01L,C07K,C12Q,C40B,G01N,Y02A

Abstract:
1. A method for identifying a ligand that binds to a protein, comprising the steps of: (1) receiving unfolding data that indicates thermal unfolding as a function of temperature for a protein incubated with a molecule tested for binding; (2) determining an unfolding temperature midpoint for the protein in the presence of the molecule from the unfolding data; (3) comparing the unfolding temperature midpoint for the protein incubated with the ligand with the unfolding temperature midpoint for the protein in the absence of any molecules tested for binding; and (4) determining that the molecule tested for binding binds to the protein when a difference between the unfolding temperature midpoint for the protein in the presence of the molecule and unfolding temperature midpoint for the protein in the absence of any molecules tested for binding exceeds a threshold; and (5) estimating the ligand binding affinity at the unfolding temperature midpoint according to: where, Kf T T ΔH ΔC [L R is the gas constant.