Protein Engineering: How Computational Modelling and Focus on Biologics Transform the Healthcare Business?

Highlights:

• Introduction
• Role of protein engineering in the food industry
• Trends in the protein engineering industry
• Key partnerships and collaborations

Protein engineering involves the modification, design, and refinement of proteins to improve their characteristics or develop novel functionalities. It merges principles from molecular biology, biochemistry, and biophysics to alter proteins on a molecular scale. In pharmaceuticals, protein engineering enables potent and targeted production of medications with reduced side effects, such as monoclonal antibodies and enzyme inhibitors.

 

Furthermore, protein engineering plays a vital role in advancing engineered antibodies for diagnostic and therapeutic uses, including cancer detection and treatment. The capacity to utilize engineering techniques to manipulate proteins creates opportunities for customized solutions across multiple sectors, ranging from healthcare to sustainable food production, thereby catalyzing innovation and advancement in these areas.

How has protein engineering transformed the food industry?                       

Protein engineering is integral to the food industry, as it enhances the properties of protein for diverse applications. Within this sector, protein engineering is employed to create enzymes with enhanced specificity, thermostability, and catalytic activity, designed for food processing. Proteases, amylases, and lipases are often genetically modified to enhance their functionality, including improving milk coagulation, meat tenderization, flavor enhancement, bread softening, and dough stability.

In addition, protein engineering enables the generation of new enzymes and food ingredients, promoting the advancement of highly efficient biocatalysts for various applications such as baking, beverages, dairy products, dietary supplements, and fats & oils. This technological advancement signifies a substantial leap forward for the food industry, as it ensures both safety and quality of food products through the modification and optimization of enzymes and proteins.

What are the prominent trends in the protein engineering industry?

Protein engineering is a powerful tool in personalized therapeutics, offering the capability to design customized proteins to meet the unique requirements of individual patients. Moreover, protein engineering technologies play a vital role in advancing synthetic biology and driving innovation in the creation of bio-based materials with many applications.

Current trends in protein engineering

• Computational modelling

Computational protein design and modelling techniques are widely used to speed up protein engineering. These methods enable efficient protein structure prediction, ligand binding analysis, and protein property optimization.

• Rise in focus on biologics

The industry has experienced a transition toward biologics, such as monoclonal antibodies, recombinant proteins, and cell & gene therapeutics. Monoclonal antibodies are indispensable in the development of protein-based medications for many diseases. They are produced from a single-cell clone, allowing for precise control over their characteristics. This results in a more accurate and effective treatment. Owing to these features, the monoclonal antibodies segment is estimated to witness absolute revenue growth of $2,310.76 million from 2022 to 2032. Protein engineering techniques are utilized to enhance these biologics, aiming to enhance efficacy and minimize side effects.

Why is India Dominating the protein engineering industry?

Factors such as increase in healthcare spending, surge in biotechnology R&D endeavors, and governmental initiatives to expand the biopharmaceutical sector propel the growth of the protein engineering industry in India. In addition, India has prioritized the enhancement of its capabilities in protein engineering to cater to domestic healthcare demands and stimulate industrial expansion. Hence, India's protein engineering sector is estimated to witness the highest CAGR of 16.0% from 2023 to 2032.         

Tactics of the frontrunners to sustain the dynamic industry

The global protein engineering industry has experienced growth due to factors, such as technological advancements, rise in R&D activities in the biopharmaceutical industry, and surge in developmental strategies in protein engineering by frontrunners. These strategies involve partnerships, collaborations, acquisitions, and mergers. For instance, the Samsung Life Science Fund, established through a partnership between Samsung Bioepis, Samsung C&T, and Samsung Biologics, revealed Samsung's investment in BrickBio, Inc. in March 2024.

The recent investment underscores Samsung's dedication to discovering and exploring new avenues in biopharmaceuticals to meet unmet therapeutic requirements. Samsung subsidiaries is expected to collaborate with BrickBio to assess, produce, and advance molecules & therapies using BrickBio's exclusive protein engineering technology for AAV gene therapy, ADCs (antibody-drug conjugates), and other therapeutic modalities.

On the other hand, BRAIN Biotech AG, a prominent provider of solutions for industrial biologization, and AMSilk GmbH, a global leader in advanced materials derived from proteins based on spider silk, have jointly announced the successful conclusion of the initial phase of their development collaboration in March 2024. After the collaboration, they enhanced a natural protein and secured the first 'Patent Cooperation Treaty' patent (PCT) for this process.

The collaboration's objective is to propel the advancement of high-performance protein-based fibers designed for the performance materials industry. The specific properties of these structural proteins are optimized to cater to various high-performance applications within the textile sector.

To sum up, protein engineering merges principles from molecular biology, biochemistry, and biophysics to alter proteins on a molecular scale. The global protein engineering industry has gained momentum due to technological advancements, rise in R&D activities in the biopharmaceutical industry, and surge in developmental strategies in protein engineering by frontrunners. However, growing opportunities across emerging economies are projected to offer prolific opportunities to the industry in the upcoming era.

For detailed dynamics and estimations of the global protein engineering industry, feel free to contact us!

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