OLS technology paves way for the robust, high-throughput single-molecule investigations of protein function required for basic research, drug screening, and systems biology studies
HAYWARD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--#Biotech--Eikon Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company that integrates advanced engineering with cutting-edge molecular and cell biology to accelerate drug discovery and development, today announced a new publication in Nature Methods detailing its Oblique Line Scan (OLS) technology which may be combined with Eikon’s Single Molecule Tracking (SMT) platform, a high-throughput system enabling the rapid interrogation of new drug targets that reveals the cellular-level impacts of therapeutic candidates being developed by Eikon.
“Eikon’s SMT platform generates high-dimensional data, allowing us to quantify the motile characteristics of individual proteins with remarkable precision across large populations,” said Roger Perlmutter, M.D., Ph.D., CEO and Board Chair of Eikon Therapeutics. “OLS is an important technical innovation that is paving the way for breakthroughs in basic biology, drug discovery, and systems biology. These systems enable us to acquire nearly a petabyte of data every day, making Eikon one of the largest data producers globally. This unprecedented throughput opens new frontiers in our understanding of cell biology and drug discovery.”
Traditional single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) methods offer insights into the behavior of proteins within their native environments but have been hindered by low throughput, uneven illumination, and significant technical biases. The OLS technology overcomes these challenges and delivers nanoscale spatial resolution and sub-millisecond temporal resolution across a large field of view.
In a new Nature Methods publication, Eikon highlights the unique capabilities of its SMT platform when combined with the OLS technology to evaluate protein motion at rates up to 14 square micrometers per second in living cells. Additionally, the authors demonstrate that the platform can enable in-solution SMT (isSMT), providing precise measurements of kinetic parameters associated with ligand-protein and protein-protein interactions in cell-free assays.
“Early on at Eikon, we learned that conventional imaging techniques were insufficient to accurately measure the dynamics of protein populations at scale,” said Russ Berman, Chief Technology Officer of Eikon Therapeutics. “The OLS technology addresses these shortcomings. By enhancing the field of view, optical performance, exposure time, and illumination uniformity, OLS significantly boosts the statistical power of our measurements. This enables us to characterize rapidly moving proteins, even when present in small sub-populations, with very high confidence.”
“OLS is more than just a technical innovation — it is a transformative tool that bridges the gap between advanced protein visualization and practical drug discovery applications,” said Dan Anderson, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Eikon Therapeutics. “Because of its unmatched precision and scalability, this technology enables us to deepen our understanding of fundamental biology while accelerating high-throughput drug screening. OLS can be a useful tool for the rapid interrogation of structure-activity relationships among putative drug candidates, thus propelling our pipeline forward. The ability to generate high-confidence insights quickly is essential for advancing therapeutic discovery.”
Eikon’s automated SMT platform can track hundreds of thousands of proteins across dozens of cells in less than a second, generating high-dimensional data that describes protein motion and state. Proprietary algorithms embedded in our purpose-built software permit deeper analysis of these data, revealing localization, diffusion rates, angular movement, processivity, and rate constants associated with the association (and dissociation) of drug candidates with their targets. The SMT platform can also obtain instantaneous protein concentration measurements with high accuracy in all sub-cellular compartments. These high-throughput assays power genome-wide genetic screens and advance drug discovery programs across oncology, immunology, and neuroscience.
Eikon has also published studies showcasing its technologies and research programs in Nature Communications, The Journal of Organic Chemistry, and eLife Sciences. These publications illuminate the mechanism of action of Werner Syndrome helicase (WRN) inhibitors and advance the study of nuclear hormone receptors. To access these publications, please visit www.eikontx.com/news.
Through the Eikon Technology Access Program, the company currently extends its state-of-the-art imaging capabilities to select academic and industry researchers, enabling them to study their model systems using Eikon’s instruments. For more information, please visit www.EikonTx.com/eikon-systems.
About Eikon Therapeutics
Eikon Therapeutics is advancing breakthrough therapeutics through the purposeful integration of science and engineering. Our proprietary discovery technologies leverage Nobel Prize-winning super-resolution microscopy, advanced engineering, and high-performance computing to visualize and measure the real-time movement of proteins in living cells, with the goal of bringing important new medicines to people suffering from grievous illness. Eikon operates from its facilities in California, New Jersey, and New York, and can be found online at www.EikonTx.com or LinkedIn.
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