Hawk Biosystems QF-Pro for quantitative analysis of protein functions in tissue and cells

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Quantifying Functions in Proteins (QF-Pro) from Hawk Biosystems is a state-of-the-art bio-imaging platform able to spatially quantify functional proteomic events within fixed patient samples (FFPE, cell lines, PBMC, etc), such as protein–protein interactions and protein post-translational modifications, at a high resolution and dynamic range. It does this by using an adaptation of Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET). According to the company, this patented adaptation allows FRET to work in patient tissue samples, with a high signal to noise ratio, for the first time.

QF-Pro not only enhances the understanding of biological pathways and protein functional states but also facilitates the identification of new biomarkers at single-cell resolution. Moreover, it enables deep phenotypic profiling in both cell and tissue models, providing early insights into drug mechanism of action and facilitating precise drug target engagement in tissues.

Unlike competing technologies, such as the proximity ligation assay (PLA) or colocalisation experiments, QF-Pro is designed to precisely measure these events at ≤10 nm resolution. Quantifying protein functions at this resolution yields mechanistic insights into signalling pathways and drug targets directly within samples.

QF-Pro is currently validated for various applications and biomarkers, including: PD1/PD-L1 interaction state (validated in cell models, ccRCC, NSCLC, melanoma, CRC and tonsil); CTLA4/CD80 interaction state (validated in cell models, NSCLC, CRC-derived lung metastases and tonsil); TIGIT/CD155 interaction state (validated in cell models, NSCLC, melanoma and tonsil); LAG3/MHC II interaction state (validated in NSCLC, lymph nodes, thymus and appendix); TIM-3/Gal9 interaction state (validated in NSCLC and tonsil); Akt/PKB activation state (validated in HNSCC, ccRCC, breast cancer, prostate cancer, sarcoma and cell models); STAT3 activation state (validated in ccRCC and cell models); HER2/HER3 interaction state (validated in cell models and FFPE tissue samples); PKB/PDK1 interaction state (validated in cell models); and beta-catenin/e-cadherin interaction state (validated in cell models, NSCLC and breast cancer).