This technology is a fluorescent probe that binds to the vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2) with high specificity and can aid in effectively identifying immature beta cells for use as a potential cell therapy treatment for diabetes.
Current cell replacement therapy for type 1 diabetes relies on transplanting a highly purified population of beta cells into the patient. The process for developing this purified population, however, is limited by a lack of probes capable of binding to specific beta cell markers with high specificity and affinity. This results in limited purity and slower, more expensive processes for developing sufficiently pure populations for transplantation.
This technology is a probe that binds to the VMAT2 marker on beta cells with high specificity and affinity. This probe also contains a non-interacting fluorescent marker that allows live cell imaging and monitoring of cells, including immature beta cells. By using this probe to identify and isolate beta cells, researchers can more easily purify beta cell populations to facilitate potential discovery of various cell therapies for diseases such as diabetes.
This technology has been validated and demonstrated to have high-affinity binding for VMAT2 with a Kd of approximately 1nM in live human beta cells.
IR CU18163
Licensing Contact: Joan Martinez