RuiYi and the iHuman Institute at ShanghaiTech University say they plan to apply RuiYi's iCAPS (Intermembranous Conformation Antigen Presenting System) technology to create novel monoclonal antibodies with specific binding to G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). The goal is to investigate the biological function and structure of GPCRs.

“As mediators of cellular communication, GPCRs and their related intracellular proteins play a central role in human biology and are important targets in mediating physiological processes to treat disease,” explained Ray Stevens, Ph.D., founding director of iHuman Institute and scientific founder of RuiYi. “The evolution and power of RuiYi's iCAPS technology enables the generation of antibodies to GPCRs with great selectivity, which can be used not only for antibody therapeutic development but also for probing the structure, function, chemical probe discovery, and signaling pathways of GPCRs.”

Dr. Stevens founded the iHuman Institute in 2012 to focus on human cell signaling research. In 2007, the Stevens Laboratory and colleagues reportedly achieved  multiple high-resolution structures of human GPCRs with follow-on functional studies. A RuiYi spokesperson said Dr. Stevens' efforts have produced a significant amount of the current GPCR structure-function data available to the scientific community.

“At the iHuman Institute, the researchers integrate multiple tools for scientific discovery for advancing human cell signaling research and drug discovery,” said  Jie Yin, vice president and provost of ShanghaiTech University. “I look forward to seeing the collaboration help to decipher the mysteries of GPCR signaling.” 

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