Generating a Codon-Optimized Gene Construct to Aid SSGCID in their Structural Elucidation Efforts

Praziquantel was discovered 40 years ago and remains the only available treatment for schistosomiasis, a disease that affects 240 million people globally. Through WIPO Re:Search, investigators from Seattle Children’s Research Institute and the NIAID-funded Seattle Structural Genomics Center for Infectious Disease (SSGCID) are working to solve the crystal structure for Schistosoma HMG-CoA reductase (SmHMGR), a promising drug target. To support these efforts, MSD* scientists developed and shared codon-optimized SmHMGR gene constructs for expressing the SmHMGR protein and solving its crystal structure. With a crystal structure, Dr. Conor Caffrey at the University of California, San Diego plans to carry out rational drug design and optimization of SmHMGR inhibitors.

*MSD is a trademark of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA