EXPERTS IN INSECT, MAMMALIAN AND BACTERIAL EXPRESSION
Protein expression services and contract work by OET
Oxford Expression Technologies Ltd (OET) provides baculovirus services and contract work for the global pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. We are the home of flashBAC™ technology and offer products, services and consultancy for recombinant protein expression in insect, mammalian and bacterial systems, all from our base in Oxford, UK. Whether you need a single step of a project or full support from gene to purified protein, our experienced team can help.
When protein expression matters, trust Oxford Expression Technologies Ltd
Our team of scientific experts has over 25 years of industry experience, and more than 40 years of work with baculovirus expression vector systems, having helped develop new and improved systems and kits over that period. We have completed over 3,000 projects and have collaborated with major global clients including large pharmaceutical companies, government departments and academic research institutions. We can provide a wide range of services from concept to completion, and all projects use current methods to ensure quality throughout. Every project matters, which is why we offer our assistance at every stage. All our services are tailored to the individual needs of our clients. If you have a project or target in mind, please contact us to see how we can help.
Why customers choose Oxford Expression Technologies
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Over 40 years of work with baculovirus expression vector systems, and over 3,000 completed projects.
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Tailor-made projects, designed around your target rather than a fixed package.
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Weekly progress updates, so you always know where a project stands.
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Experience with difficult and complex proteins, including secreted and membrane proteins, glycoproteins and VLPs.
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Endotoxin-free options for preclinical work, and pre-GMP process development.
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Recombinant viruses free of bacterial sequences with flashBAC™ GOLD.
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Worldwide shipping, and secure long-term virus storage if you need it.
Covering every step of your research project, from beginning to end.
Here at Oxford Expression Technologies Ltd, all the recombinant baculovirus services and projects are performed using our own flashBAC™ baculovirus expression technology. This technology has been developed specifically for difficult and complex protein targets, including secreted proteins, membrane proteins, glycoproteins and VLPs. Like all Oxford Expression Technologies contract services, the baculovirus projects can cover every step from beginning to end.
Project support
We provide an end-to-end service, from vector design to purified proteins and VLPs. We consider ourselves partners, not just providers. We offer hands-on support and flexible, tailored solutions designed to meet your specific goals and timelines.
Working with your target sequence(s), we use gene synthesis or cloning to generate validated transfer vectors for the baculovirus system or plasmids for stable cell line expression. We work with you to design the optimal expression cassettes that consider promoters, purification tags and AI assisted sequence optimisation including codon, signal peptide and RNA structure. We have a number of pOET plasmids for single, dual or multiple gene expression or can tailor a design unique for your project. Whilst the polyhedrin and p10 gene promoters are the strongest, we also offer a unique hybrid polh/p10 promoter for triple expression and p6.9/chitinase/gp64 promoters for earlier gene expression where post-translational processing is key.
OET has developed a rapid titration system based on quantitative PCR (qPCR) for the accurate titration of baculovirus stocks in under two hours. We use this inhouse to reduce project delivery timelines, whilst ensuring the best reproducible expression outcomes by infecting cells with known multiplicity of infection. We also offer virus titration by plaque-assay, the gold standard for quantifying virus titres, where qPCR is not appropriate.
We provide tailored protein purification services combining technical expertise with flexible, scalable processes. Supporting early-stage vaccine R&D and broader protein development. We deliver consistent, reliable, high-quality results from research through to large-scale engineering runs. Full documentation can be provided in the form of Batch Records and CoAs.
Protein Production: We can easily scale insect, mammalian and bacterial cells for biomass production up to 40 L or more in shake flasks. Alternatively, we can use our Wave bioreactor system with capacity to 25 L per run, enabling efficient and controlled production at scale. During cell harvest, we utilise high-capacity centrifugation systems or advanced hollow fibre membrane technologies to efficiently recover material from infected cultures prior to purification.
Protein Purification: We work closely with you to design the most effective purification strategy, tailored to the target protein sequence, expression system, cell line and key properties such as size, charge, and solubility. Our team uses a broad range of techniques including; affinity chromatography, ion exchange, hydrophobic interaction and size exclusion chromatography, often in combination to maximise purity and yield. Engineering runs can be produced to 'endotoxin-free' standards for preclinical applications.
Recombinant baculovirus is produced following co-transfection of insect cells with a transfer plasmid containing the gene of interest and our one-step platform: flashBAC™.
Optimised: Specific genomes available for difficult proteins.
Stable: High expression levels maintained across multiple passages.
GMP-ready: flashBAC Gold, Prime and Ultra2 viruses contain no bacterial sequences.
VLPs: flashBAC Prime delivers cleaner, higher yields for intracellular VLPs; Ultra for secreted VLPs
Expert Support: We’ll help you select the best flashBAC for your project.
It is difficult to estimate in advance whether a protein will be expressed to high levels. We routinely optimise gene expression by varying a number of parameters. At the end of this stage, the optimal conditions will be incorporated to maximise protein yield whilst limiting impurities
Cell Line: Protein yield and quality can vary considerably between cell lines. We offer a number of cell lines: Sf21, Sf9, SuperSf9, Tn1 and rhabdovirus-free SfC1B5.
Multiplicity of Infection: Multiplicity of infection can have a significant impact on protein yield. Higher is not always better; sometimes a lower MOI can yield greater quantities of protein.
Time to Harvest: We routinely analyse expression at 48, 60, 72 and 96 hours after infection to determine the best time to harvest the target protein. For secreted proteins, we optimise the trade off between yield and contamination by host cell proteins
Temperature: The impact of temperature on protein production can be significant. We can vary the temperature to observe how this effects protein yields
Project completion
After completion of your project, we will provide a final report detailing the completed work for your project and we will provide help and assistance in shipping your plasmids, viruses, biomass and protein if required. We also offer a storage service which is useful for repeat and future work.
Other Services
OET offers a variety of services. Please contact us to learn more about our offerings and how we can assist you.
Additional recombinant protein expression services
Despite the advantages of the baculovirus and mammalian expression systems, OET is aware that other expression platforms can be equally useful in your project. Therefore, in addition to our standard services; we also work together with our partners to offer bacterial expression in E. coli. Please contact us for more information on these options and to request a quotation.
To find out more about our baculovirus services, protein expression and contract work from OET, please get in touch
CONTACT US
Oxford Expression Technologies Ltd
Unit 9 Innovation Quarter
Oxford Technology Park
Kidlington
OX5 1GN
+44 (0) 1865 536808
