How the LRC-TriCEPS technology works

We collaborated with DualSystems Biotech AG to perform LRC-TriCEPS experiments aimed at identifying cellular factors involved in Zika virus infection. The entire process—from initial discussions through to data delivery—was carried out with exceptional professionalism and scientific rigor.

Thanks to their LRC-TriCEPS platform, we were able to identify a cellular factor playing a major role in Zika virus entry. This unique method was applied to living cells without the need for genetic modification. In our case, the method worked robustly across three different cell types. Notably, it enabled the identification of an unexpected target at the cell surface that would likely have been missed by standard screening approaches, as the protein lacks a classical membrane anchor. What impressed us most was that the implication of this target, discovered via their screening, was subsequently confirmed in our in vitro studies using different cellular models.

We greatly appreciated the collaboration with the DualSystems Biotech AG team. Their expertise, responsiveness, and willingness to support our project at every stage were key to its success. The data provided were of high quality and well presented, facilitating downstream interpretation and validation.

Milos Stojanov, PhD - Head of the Materno-fetal and Obstetrics Research Unit - University Hospital of Lausanne (CH)



 

Miloš Stojanov, PhD | Senior Lecturer (MER1)
Head of the Materno-fetal and Obstetrics Research Unit
Department Woman-mother-child (DFME)
1011 Lausanne
Tél: +41 21 314 05 17

We aim to identify the ligand of a receptor, but due to the low affinity of the interaction other approaches that have been tried failed. Paul Helbling and the DualSystem team provided a great support and critical insights for performing the ligand identification using the LCR-TriCEPS technology. We found now a candidate ligand that we are currently validating with promising results. DualSystem team has been really professional and of great support in this process and we plan to work again with them in the future.



Best,

Silvia Gaggero, PhD
Mitra Lab, Inserm
OncoLille Cancer Institute
Lille, France

We needed to identify the target of an antibody from a phenotypic screening approach using a difficult iPSC-derived cell line and reached-out to DualSystems and their LRC-TriCEPS technology after an earlier attempt at target deconvolution using an array of membrane targets had failed.  The support I got from Paul Helbling and his team was great and as someone who was unfamiliar with the approach, I really appreciated the advice and guidance that I got. At the end of the process the top candidate from the analysis was confirmed as the target of the antibody – a brilliant result! Overall, a really positive experience and I would definitely recommend DualSystems.



James Dodgson
AstraZeneca
Cambridge, UK.

“DualSystems LRC-TriCEPS platform helped us in the identification of a novel allergen receptor. This finding was central to our recently published work and funded grant! DualSystems was very helpful during the entire process, if you are considering using this platform, do not hesitate. The process is straightforward and the support is excellent!”



Justine Tigno-Aranjuez, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Medicine
UCF College of Medicine

DualSystems' LRC-TriCEPS platform was exactly what we needed to identify potential targets and guide us in mechanism of action studies for our peptide program. They helped us every step of the way -- from understanding their capabilities, to guiding study design, and supporting sample preparation. The report they delivered exceeded our expectations and truly stands out from data reports we've received from other companies. They were readily available to answer questions and discuss concerns or outcomes. We are very encouraged by the results and are currently following up on the targets identified. We highly recommend working with DualSystems and incorporating the LRC-TriCEPS platform into your program. We look forward to working with the DualSystems team again in the future.



Dr. Lindsay Stark
Drug Discovery Scientist at CohBar

Technical University of Munich – Institute of Experimental Oncology and Therapy Research

Using LRC-TriCEPS, we aimed to identify novel direct cell surface receptors of our ligand of interest.
At any time, we experienced great support of Dualsystems Biotech. They kindly helped to find optimal conditions for our purposes and provided help with any kind of question before, during and after the experiment. LRC-TriCEPS allowed us to identify novel cell surface receptors of our ligand, which we could successfully validate in different cell types and with different biochemical assays. We can fully recommend Dualsystems Biotech and are looking forward to perform further analyses using LRC-TriCEPS.



Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Achim Krüger
Institute of Experimental Oncology and Therapy Research
Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich

We appreciate the support of Dualsystems Biotech and their LRC-TriCEPS technology we were able to identify a binding protein for our insulinotropic peptide



Hideyuki Sakoda, MD, PhD
Associate professor
Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki, Japan.

We wanted to use LRC-TriCEPS to characterise the mechanism of action of our ligand of interest. Not only were several candidate targets identified but we have successfully validated two of these receptors in insulin producing beta cells. DualSystems Biotech were very helpful and involved from study design, to experiments and reporting. Even after the initial report, DualSystems Biotech have answered follow up queries and provided assistance regarding publications. I highly recommend the LRC-TriCEPS technology and DualSystems Biotech and Paul Helbling and his team to work with.

 



Dr. Claire L. Lyons,
Associate Researcher
Unit of Medical Protein Science
Lund University Diabetes Centre
Sweden

“We had a challenging project where we aimed to discover the receptor of our ligand of interest in primary human cells. Dualsystems Biotech took the challenge and provided outstanding support throughout the entire process, from the experimental design to data analysis. Using their LRC-TriCEPS technology, we could identify a candidate receptor and additional downstream interacting partners that we have now validated. We look forward to new collaborations and discoveries with Dr Paul Helbling and his team”. – Prof Carola Vinuesa, ANU



 

The Australian National University
Co-Director, Centre for Personalised Immunology, NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence
College of Health & Medicine
The Australian National University

We used DualSystems to help identify a potential novel receptor for a ligand that despite being studied for decades had unclear catabolism mechanisms involving its receptor mediated uptake. The DualSystems team will walk you through the process, including early validation of your ligand being used for this technology, data collection and analysis, and provide an easy to follow report on the findings. For anyone interested in receptor-ligand interactions, DualSystems and the TriCEPS approach is worth strongly considering involving in your research program, as it can quickly help identify receptors that would have been very difficult to do so without.

Maximillian Rogers, PhD
Research Scientist
Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women's Hospital
Department of Medicine, Cardiovascular Division
Boston, MA

“It was my great pleasure to collaborate with Dualsystems Biotech. We have been tested various proteomic analysis to identify the specific receptor for our secreted ligand. But, only LRC-TriCEPS experiment successfully gave us a right answer, because this receptor and ligand interactions were indeed relatively weaker than other general receptor and ligand interactions. The team very kindly consulted the whole experimental steps from the experimental design to the final data analysis. We are now going to use TriCEPS  again for several other secreted ligands with a great hope for discovery of new receptors. Best Regards, Ho Min Kim”



Associate Professor
Graduate School of Medical Science and Engineering, KAIST
Chief Investigator
Center for Biomolecular & Cellular Structure, Institute for Basic Science (IBS)

We were fortunate to partner with Dualsystems Biotech AG to discover cell-surface targets for the short-peptide ligand we had been working on for several years. We decided to try the LRC-TriCEPS approach to identify cell-surface binding partners for the ligand after several earlier aborted attempts using different techniques. Using LRC-TriCEPS we have identified targets that we have now been able to verify functionally and biochemically using other methods. It was a pleasure to work with Dr Paul Helbling and his team who were extremely helpful guiding us through the experimental process and assisting with analysis of the data. We were impressed by the quality of the data and the ease with which we were able to run the study.

Dr Patric Delhanty
Laboratory of Metabolism and Reproduction
Department of Internal Medicine
Erasmus MC
Rotterdam, The Netherlands

"I have used many binding assays and was in the verge of giving up. Then I have contacted Dr. Paul Helbling and his group. The LRC-TriCEPS experiment was effective and let us go over the obstacle we had during the project. We look forward to using TriCEPS in the future".



Chung Hwan Cho, Ph. D. candidate
Environmental Health Microbiology Laboratory
Department of Environmental Public Health
Seoul National University

„Vista is an acidic pH selective ligand for PSGL-1“

Identification of a new immune-oncology drug target using the LRC-TriCEPS platform on primary human T-cells.

I was very pleased with my collaboration with the team at Dualsystems. We had to work with difficult cells and the team helped us develop modifications to the original protocol to be able to use the TriCEPS approach with our cells. The whole team was very responsive, involved, and knowledgeable and this led to a successful identification of a receptor for our ligand of interest. We have since then confirmed the interaction and we are now getting ready to publish this study, which will have implications in the treatment of ocular injuries.



Anne Kasus-Jacobi, PhD
Associate Professor of Research
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA

The team from DualSystems Biotech AG has been extremely helpful in delivering scientific advice for CuroNZ’s target identification journey. The quick turnaround time and the precision of NRP2945’s target identification in regard to the utilization of their TRICEPS technology impressed us very much. Meanwhile we could identify another NRP2945 receptor target that was identified by DualSystems as being recruited to the NRP2945-activated membrane receptor complex. An absolute pleasure to work with Paul Helbling’s team.



Frank Sieg, PhD
CSO
CuroNZ Ltd
Mangawhai in New Zealand

It was a pleasure working with Paul Helbling and his team. I was impressed by their attention to detail, and optimization of all cell conditions to produce the most reliable possible results. They kept me informed at every stage of the process and shared data as soon as they were able to. Using their LRC-TriCEPS platform, we were able to follow leading candidates as binding partners for our cardiac targeting peptide and identified the most likely binding partner.



Maliha Zahid, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Departement of Developmental Biology
University of Pittsburgh

I was very pleased with my collaboration with the team at Dualsystems. We had to work with difficult cells and the team helped our lab develop modifications to the original protocol to be able to use the TriCEPS approach with our cells. The whole team was very responsive, involved, and knowledgeable and this led to a successful identification of a receptor for our ligand of interest. We have since then confirmed this interaction and we are now getting ready to publish this study, which will have implications in the treatment of ocular injuries.

 

Anne Kasus-Jacobi, PhD
Assistant Professor of Research
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA

PUBLICATION:  Li Z, Zeppa JJ, Hancock MA, McCormick JK, Doherty TM, Hendy GN, and Madrenas J.  Staphylococcal Superantigens Use LAMA2 as a Coreceptor To Activate T Cells. J Immunol. 2018; 200: 1471-1479.

The identification of a T cell co-receptor for staphylococcal superantigens had been challenging due to the structural features of the interaction and its kinetics.  However, working with Dualstystems Biotech AG, and with Dr. Paul Helbling in particular, and using the LRC-TriCEPS technology, we were able to identify a candidate that was subsequently corroborated by biochemical and functional assays.   We are very happy with this collaboration , and sincerely recommend it for the identification of novel receptor or co-receptor candidates.(Quim) Madrenas, MD, PhD, FCAHS
Chief Scientific Officer
Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
Torrance, USA

“With the help of the team at Dualsystems we confirmed a potential receptor which has lead to a Nature paper submission and successful funding of a research grant. The LRC-TriCEPS experiment was straightforward and the process was cost effective. We look forward to using TriCEPS in the future.”Anita Burgess  |  PhD
Hepatic Fibrosis Group
QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Australia

We are very pleased with the experience and interaction on very high professional level with Dualsystems Biotech. As a result of such collaboration the new receptor MUC5B was identified in human chondrosarcoma cells for the first time for antiproliferative neuropeptide PRP-1. Read more
I would like to thank once again the company and, particularly, Dr Helbling for his attention and collaboration.
Dr Karina Galoian
Research associate professor
University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine
Department of Orthopedic surgery
Miami, Florida, USA

"Dualsystems Biotech’s approach to receptor identification with the TriCEPS reagent gave us a powerful platform with great support for a successful and fast data generation, when conventional approaches had previously failed."Dr. rer. nat. Martin Herold
Working group from Prof. Dr. med. Luisa Klotz
Münster University Hospital (UKM), Germany

"Every aspect of our experience with Dualsystems Biotech was outstanding.  They provided excellent customer service and technical support throughout the entire process.  Their LRC-TriCEPS technology allowed us to identify several new candidate receptors for our protein of interest in rat primary neurons, and this has created new and exciting avenues for our research."

Sari S. Hannila, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Human Anatomy and Cell Science
Associate Member, Spinal Cord Research Centre
Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences
University of Manitoba

"We are very pleased with the work product of Dualsystems Biotech. The TriCEPS reagent allowed us to identify a novel ligand-extracellular matrix protein receptor interaction, which was not possible using traditional techniques. The Dualsystems team were very helpful in tailoring the experimental conditions to fit our biological question."Manish Ponda, M.D., M.S.
Assistant Professor of Clinical Investigation
The Rockefeller University

“With the support of Dualsystems Biotech and their LRC-TriCEPS technology we were able to identify receptor candidates for our peptide with renoprotective properties in kidney injury.”

Dr. rer. nat. Inga Sörensen-Zender
Postdoc
Medizinische Hochschule Hannover

 

“For the ligand sample two unique receptors were identified. Flow cytometry analysis with siRNA induced knockdown of these proteins confirmed that the presence of the protein is needed for CTRP3 binding to occur. CONCLUSION The LRC-TriCEPS methodology was successful in identifying the receptor for CTRP3.”Jonathan M Peterson
Assistant Professor
East Tennessee State University

«Leveraging Dualsystems Biotech novel linker technology (LRC-TriCEPS) and its analytical data processing capabilities we were able to identify the heterophilic receptor for a highly-pursued immuno-oncology target.»Dr. Edward van der Horst,
Senior Director, Preclinical Development
Igenica Biotherapeutics

New publication in Nature Communications using the LRC-TriCEPS technology in collaboration with Alisson Gontijo
« The fruitful collaboration with Dualsystems Biotech using the LRC-TriCEPS (CaptiRec) technology showed that even on insect cells receptors could be identified »

Alisson M. Gontijo,
Principal Investigator at CEDOC
Centro de Estudos de Doenças Crónicas

"Thanks to LRC-TriCEPS (CaptiRec) technology we were able to identify a long sought receptor of our ligand using genetically-engineered cell lines with the support of Dualsystems".Fumihiko Urano, MD, PhD
Samuel E. Schechter Professor of Medicine
Washington University School of Medicine

"We have been trying to identify a receptor that has been sought after for nearly 30 years by laboratories across the globe. Thanks to Dualsystems service CaptiRec (LRC-TriCEPS), we now have a strong candidate receptor." De'Broski R. Herbert Ph.D.
Assistant Professor in Residence
University of California San Francisco (UCSF)