title: Therapeutic applications of an expanded genetic code.
abstract: To date, over 100 noncanonical amino acids (ncAAs) have been genetically encoded in living cells in order to expand the functional repertoire of the canonical 20 amino acids. More recently, this technology has been expanded to the field of protein therapeutics, where traditional chemical methods typically result in heterogeneous mixtures of proteins. The site-specific incorporation of ncAAs with orthogonal chemical groups allows unprecedented control over the site of conjugation and the stoichiometry, thus facilitating the rational optimization of the biological functions and/or pharmacokinetics of biologics. Herein, we discuss the recent contribution of ncAA technology in enhancing the pharmacological properties of current protein therapeutics as well as developing novel therapeutic modalities.
authors.affiliation: California Institute for Biomedical Research, 11119 North Torrey Pines Road, Suite 100, La Jolla, CA 92037 (USA).
authors.forename: Sophie B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Peter G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Schultz
authors.forename: Chan Hyuk
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000596:Amino Acids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D005815:Genetic Code; D006801:Humans; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D011506:Proteins
keywords: antibody-drug conjugates; bispecific antibodies; click chemistry; noncanonical amino acids; therapeutic proteins