Scientists from the Center for Synthetic Biotechnology at Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University have developed an innovative technology for obtaining a pharmaceutical substance for the production of GLP-1 receptor agonists — key drugs for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity. The method is based on the use of a genetically modified strain of E. coli, which simplifies and reduces the cost of the production process.
Unlike traditional methods, where the target product accumulates inside cells, the new technology ensures the secretion of the substance directly into the culture fluid – a solution for growing microorganisms. This significantly reduces production time and simplifies the purification of the final product.
This approach significantly reduces the production time of the substance and makes the technological process much more accessible for transfer to the production site. Currently, in laboratory conditions, the productivity of our technology exceeds one gram per liter of precursor protein. This is a very good indicator.
Currently, most drugs on the Russian market are produced from Chinese substances. The new technology can change this dependence, providing a full production cycle within the country. In the near future, scientists will apply for a patent, after which they will transfer the development to an industrial partner for scaling.
In addition, the platform solution is planned to be used to create sorbents for cleaning viral particles in collaboration with the «Vector» Scientific Center.
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