From a Day to an Hour: How the Constant Systems CF1 Accelerates Protein Extraction at the University of Bedfordshire

For protein scientists, efficient cell lysis is a critical first step in recombinant protein production. At the University of Bedfordshire, Dr Lindsay McDermott, Senior Lecturer in Biochemistry, uses a Constant Systems CF1 High Pressure Cell Disruptor to rapidly and reliably release recombinant proteins from E. coli.

Lindsay’s research focuses on protein science, including the expression and purification of recombinant proteins and investigating their interactions to better understand protein function.

 Over the years, Lindsay has used a number of different approaches to bacterial cell lysis, including sonication and chemical lysis. More recently, her laboratory has adopted high-pressure cell disruption using the Constant Systems CF1.

 “The Constant Systems CF1 cell disruptor is a very reliable method for breakng open our bacteria to produce high yields of protein.”

 One of the key advantages for the University of Bedfordshire has been the significant reduction in processing time.

 When using chemical lysis, samples could take around a full day to process. With the CF1, Lindsay explains that class samples can be processed in around an hour.

 “It’s a very, very quick and precise method. So it saves us a lot of time when we are making our recombinant proteins.”

 Importantly, the speed of the process has not come at the expense of protein yield. Lindsay reports that the yields achieved using the CF1 are comparable with those obtained through chemical lysis, providing a reliable, efficient and reproducible method for preparing recombinant proteins.

 Constant Systems – Cell Based Protein Extraction with Functional Integrity.