The Netherlands, 03 November 2015 – Synaffix BV, today announced that a key patent has been granted in the US (US 8,859,629 B2) as well as in the EU (EP 2 563 753 B1), further strengthening its IP portfolio. The patent covers “Fused cyclooctynes and their use in metal-free click reactions”, specifically BCN, a molecule that enables highly efficient conjugation to proteins bearing an azide.
BCN is ideally suited for reactions with proteins, given it comes with the highest combined solubility and reactivity of all the cyclooctynes available, in particular with regard to cyclooctynes with fused aromatic rings (DBCO/DIBO). Further, conjugations with BCN are completely orthogonal and can occur rapidly in an aqueous environment and in the absence of a metal catalyst. Previous versions of the click reaction required a copper catalyst, which led to protein oxidation or degradation in some cases.
