ProteomeBinders: A European Infrastructure of Ligand Binding Molecules against the Human Proteome

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The objective of the ProteomeBinders programme is to coordinate the establishment of a European resource infrastructure of binding molecules directed against the entire human proteome. This Coordination Action, established with funding of 1.8 million € over 4 years by the European Commission as part of the 6th Framework Programme, brings together 26 European partners and two in the USA, including many of the foremost international leaders in all aspects of the science of binding molecules. It will be coordinated from the Babraham Institute by Dr Mike Taussig, head of the Technology Research Group and co-inventor of some key technologies for binder production and use. A major objective of the post-genome era is to detect, quantify and characterise all relevant human proteins in tissues and fluids in health and disease. This effort requires a comprehensive, characterised and standardised collection of specific protein-binding reagents, including antibodies, the most widely used such molecules, and in addition novel protein scaffolds, nucleic acid aptamers, peptides and small chemical entitities. Currently there is no pan-European platform to coordinate systematic development, resource management and quality control for these important reagents. The ProteomeBinders consortium will plan the organisation of the new European resource, by integrating existing infrastructures, reviewing technologies and high-throughput production methods, standardising tools and applications, and establishing a binders database. As well as being one of the largest genomic projects in Europe, establishing the binder resource will bring huge benefits for basic and applied research, impacting on healthcare, diagnostics, target discovery for drug intervention and therapeutics. It will thus be of great advantage to the research, medical and biotechnology communities.

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