Configuration Overview
The Peptide-Builder is designed for peptide chemists who want to make high quality peptides quickly and easily at laboratory scale. Peptides are synthesized sequentially fully automated either one at a time or queued up to 16, for example overnight.
- Synthesis scale 0.05 mmol to 1.0 mmol
- Uses Vapourtec’s patented reactor technology for continuous flow single pass SPPS
- Fmoc solid phase peptide chemistry with DIC and oxyma activation
- Fully automated up to 16 peptides
- Continuous in-line analytics including resin solvation data and UV absorption data
- Fast cycle times
- Automated addition of side chain(s) as required
Synthesis scale 0.05 – 1.00 mmol
The Peptide-Builder has been designed to be used in a broad range of synthesis scales, covering any synthesis between 50 µmol up to 1.0 mmol. The Peptide-Builder is compatible with any type of polymeric resin, from PS to PEGylated resins and the normal range of linkers. Resins are loaded into barcoded resin cartridges before the cartridges are placed into the resin cartridge carousel for automated processing. The barcode ensures correct identification of the completed peptide.
Fully automated up to 16 peptides
Taking advantage of the simplicity of a carousel, users can program 16 different peptide sequences at any time.
These syntheses will be completed in a sequential manner, meaning that if the desire peptide is the first in the queue, the peptide will be synthesised within hours and the user will have easy access to remove it from the system.
Synthesising 16 different peptides can be easily programmed through the interface of the state-of-the-art GMP software. Once the synthesis is completed, the system will unload the resin cartridge, ready for cleavage.
Uses Vapourtec’s patented reactor technology (VBFR) for continuous flow single pass SPPS
In 2017 Vapourtec’s developed and patented a new reactor technology for peptide synthesis. This reactor has been named the variable bed flow reactor (VBFR).
The key benefit of this reactor is it maintains the resin at a constant packing density during the entire synthesis. As the resin increases and decreases in volume during the synthesis, the packaging density is maintained ensuring optimum interaction between reagents and solvents and the peptidyl resin. Channelling is eliminated and the reactor volume is minimised.
Heated reactors (VBFR) ensures fast cycle times
Vapourtec’s patented variable bed flow reactor (VBFR) technology has precise temperature control.
Heating has two important benefits: preventing β-sheet structures that can lead to aggregation events and increasing reaction kinetics which can be particularly beneficial for sterically difficult couplings.
A cycle time of 7 minutes is achieved even using DIC and Oxyma as activating reagents. A typical 30-mer can be synthesised in under 3.5 hours, even with addition of side chains.
Reaction temperatures can be changed rapidly allowing the optimum temperature to be selected for each amino acid. For example, residues prone to racemisation can be activated and coupled under ideal conditions. The Peptide-Builder state of the art software automatically selects the optimum reactor temperatures for each of the natural amino acids.
Minimises solvent and reagent usage
Solvent usage is typically less than 70 ml per mmol / cycle even when using PEG resins.
Typical syntheses use 1.5-3 equivalents of amino acids, however the single-pass continuous flow allows expensive unnatural amino acids to be used as the limiting reagent if this is desired.
By way of example, a 10-mer peptide can be synthesized at 0.1 mmol scale using less than 70 ml of solvent.
The Peptide-Builder has capacity for 10 litres of DMF and features a level indicator which will stop any synthesis should the reservoir empty.
Continuous in-line analytics including resin solvation data and UV absorption data
A significant benefit of the VBFR technology is the real time measure of reactor volume. This delivers completely new data regarding the peptide synthesis, providing new insights into peptide aggregation. The precise timing and magnitude of each aggregation event can be monitored and quantified in real time.
Using this data, the adoption of pseudo-proline dipeptides or other aggregation mitigation options can be considered with new and increased scientific rigour.
In addition to the resin solvation data, single pass continuous flow facilitates precise quantification of Fmoc deprotection from the resin. The state-of-the-art GMP software calculates and plots the area under the curve (AUC) for each deprotection and presents this in real time.
Once the synthesis is completed, the GMP software will email the data to the user as both graphical chart and detailed report.
