About
Nuclera is a life sciences technology company that makes proteins accessible through its flagship platform, eProtein Discovery™. The system is built around two core innovations: cell-free protein synthesis and nanodroplet digital microfluidics, which together enable researchers to conduct automated, parallel protein screens in a fraction of the time required by conventional methods. In as little as 24 hours, eProtein Discovery runs automated multiplex screens that simultaneously evaluate construct variants, solubility tags, and expression conditions — producing decision-grade data that guides scientists toward the most promising protein candidates before committing resources to scale-up. An on-cartridge fluorescence assay quantifies only full-length, soluble protein, preventing wasted effort on poor-quality hits. Within 48 hours, researchers can obtain assay-ready proteins at µg–mg scale, ready for structural studies, functional assays, or downstream drug discovery workflows. The platform supports soluble proteins, membrane proteins (including GPCRs via nanodisc panels), and antibody fragments in a simple three-step workflow. Nuclea also integrates with AI-driven protein design tools such as AlphaFold, enabling researchers to close the loop between computational protein design and experimental validation rapidly. The platform is purpose-built for pharmaceutical companies, biotech startups, and academic research groups seeking to accelerate target identification and protein engineering cycles.
Key Features
- Automated Multiplex Screening: In 24 hours, automated parallel screens simultaneously evaluate protein constructs, solubility tags, and expression conditions to identify the most promising candidates.
- Decision-Grade Protein Data: On-cartridge fluorescence assays quantify only full-length, soluble protein — eliminating wasted effort on poor-quality or truncated protein targets.
- Assay-Ready Proteins in 48 Hours: Optimized expression and purification conditions are rapidly scaled to µg–mg outputs suitable for structural and functional studies.
- AlphaFold & Protein Design Integration: Supports AI-guided protein design workflows, enabling rapid experimental validation of computationally predicted protein structures and variants.
- Membrane Protein & GPCR Support: Handles challenging membrane proteins including GPCRs via dedicated nanodisc panels, expanding the range of druggable targets accessible to researchers.
Use Cases
- Rapidly screening protein construct variants and expression conditions in drug discovery programs to identify optimal candidates before committing to costly scale-up
- Experimental validation of AlphaFold-predicted or computationally designed protein structures to confirm solubility and functionality
- Membrane protein and GPCR research — producing assay-ready nanodisc-embedded proteins for pharmacological screening and structural studies
- Accelerating antibiotic resistance enzyme engineering by high-throughput testing of affinity tags and expression conditions in parallel
- Enabling small biotech and academic labs to perform in-house protein production without relying on contract research organizations
Pros
- Dramatically Faster Protein Production: Delivers assay-ready proteins in 48 hours versus weeks with traditional methods, significantly compressing drug discovery timelines.
- True Multiplex Capability: Tests hundreds of construct and condition combinations in parallel, removing the sequential trial-and-error bottleneck common in conventional protein expression.
- Handles Difficult Targets: Cell-free synthesis and nanodisc technology make challenging membrane proteins and GPCRs tractable without requiring live cell culture infrastructure.
- End-to-End In-House Workflow: Researchers can perform protein design, screening, characterization, and small-scale expression themselves without outsourcing — reducing cost and maintaining IP control.
Cons
- Requires Specialized Hardware: The eProtein Discovery system depends on a proprietary instrument and cartridges, representing a significant capital and consumables investment for labs.
- Primarily Lab-Environment Focused: The platform is designed for wet-lab research settings and is not accessible as a pure software or cloud-based solution.
- Scale Limited to Small-Scale Expression: The system is optimized for µg–mg protein outputs for screening and early characterization; large-scale manufacturing requires separate downstream processes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is eProtein Discovery™?
eProtein Discovery™ is Nuclera's end-to-end multiplex protein screening system that combines cell-free protein synthesis with nanodroplet digital microfluidics to help researchers rapidly identify, express, and purify proteins — including challenging membrane proteins — in as little as 48 hours.
What types of proteins can Nuclera's platform handle?
The platform supports soluble proteins, membrane proteins (including GPCRs via nanodisc panels), and antibody fragments. It is specifically designed to make difficult-to-express proteins more accessible.
How does Nuclera integrate with AlphaFold?
Nuclera supports AlphaFold protein design workflows, enabling researchers to experimentally validate AI-predicted protein structures and rapidly screen computationally designed constructs to identify viable candidates.
What scale of protein output does the system produce?
The eProtein Discovery system produces µg–mg quantities of purified, assay-ready protein, suitable for structural studies, functional characterization, and early-stage drug discovery assays.
Who is Nuclera's platform designed for?
The platform is designed for pharmaceutical companies, biotech firms, and academic research groups involved in drug discovery, protein engineering, structural biology, and membrane protein research.
