Zürich – November 30th 2010.
The European Patent Office has granted a European Patent (06 721 947.7) to the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETHZ, Zürich) and CovalX AG (Schlieren), claiming for the use of chemical cross-linking in combination with MALDI mass spectrometry for the direct analysis of protein-protein interactions.
The method of the invention allows the direct analysis of non-covalent complexes in a very broad mass range (currently up to 2 MDa) with nM sensitivity. The method can be applied in most formulation and experimental buffers and allows to characterize the stoechiometry of any protein-protein interaction, with the accuracy of mass spectrometry.
The method takes benefits of specially developed cross-linking molecules, allowing fast and efficient stabilization of the non covalent complexes and a unique