Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Branch Bioanalytics and Bioprocesses IZI-BBProject | »PZ-Syn+G«: Synthesis of G-protein-coupled receptors
New GPCR Platforms for Targeted Drug Screening
The project »PZ-Syn+G« project builds on the Fraunhofer project group »Fungal-Based Cell-Free Synthesis Platforms« (PZ-Syn), which is based at the BTU Campus Senftenberg. It focuses on establishing a reliable production pipeline for functional G protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs). GPCRs are a receptor family targeted by more than one-third of all approved drugs due to their key role in essential signaling pathways. However, their complex structure makes them among the most difficult protein classes to access, representing a major bottleneck for drug discovery and diagnostics.
The project focuses on generating the endothelin-B and adenosine A2A receptors in a cell-free system and assessing their integrity using newly developed ligand-binding and functional assays. In parallel, precise CRISPR/Cas editing is used to create inducible cell lines expressing the respective GPCRs. These cell lines provide a functional reference for comparison while also expanding the platform with a robust live-cell screening system for drug candidates.
The combination of cell-free synthesis for potential high-throughput applications and inducible cell models provides the pharmaceutical research industry and academic laboratories with rapid, cost-effective access to GPCR targets that were previously difficult to obtain. As a part of the ongoing structural transformation in the Lausitz region, the PZ-Syn+G project helps strengthen Senftenberg’s long-term capacity for innovation.