Company Overview

The Facility The Alberta Peptide Institute (API) is a cost-recovery core facility operating at the University of Alberta in the Department of Biochemistry in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1985 by Dr. Robert S. Hodges to meet the growing demand for synthetic peptides, API has since expanded its service to include all aspects of peptide and protein chemistry. Our custom-built facility provides a worldwide service to hundreds of researchers, on a cost-recovery basis.

Services include: peptide synthesis, HPLC purification of peptides and proteins, peptide conjugation to protein carriers, custom synthesis, amino acid analysis, peptide /protein sequencing, mass spectrometry of peptide/proteins and peptide/ protein structure prediction and computer modeling. In collaboration with the Department of Chemistry at the University of Alberta, NMR, FAB-MS, and MALDI-MS, spectral services and microanalysis services are also available. We supply researchers with high quality service at competitive prices.

API works directly with the customer to provide the following state of the art services:

• Peptide/Protein synthesis and HPLC purification
• Peptide conjugation to Protein carriers
• Custom Synthesis
• Amino Acid Analysis
• Peptide/Protein sequencing
• Mass Spectrometry of Peptides
• Protein isolations, purification and characterization
• Protein Antigenic Epitope Prediction
• Peptide/Protein Structure Prediction
• Special Projects in molecular modelling

Company Information

Additional Details

Legal Name: API Alberta Peptide Institute

Contacts

Services

• Amino Acid Analysis

  Amino Acid Analysis Quantitive and qualitative amino acid analyses of peptides and proteins are available using a Beckmand 6300 high performance analyser. Analyses are performed with post-column ninhydrin derivatization, which can detect low nanomolar quantities of amino acids.

• Biotechnology
• Hf Cleavage

  HF Cleavage API provides HF cleavage service for peptides synthesized with Boc technology.

• Hplc

  HPLC API provides a full range of analytical chromatography (RPC, IEC, SEC, HILIC, HIC) services. Preparative scale chromatography is available for milligram quantities on semi- preparative columns, to multi-gram scale on five centimetre diameter preparative columns.

• Mass Spectrometry

  Mass Spectrometry Our facility uses the following mass spectrometers to characterize products:

  • Electrospray LC-MS-MS ( Fison, VG Quattro) - This state-of-

  the-art MS can separate crude samples (via HPLC) and provide a mass spectrum for each resolved peak. The useful mass range is 500 to 120, 000 Daltons.

  • Plasma Desorption MS (Biolon 20) A Time of Flight MS - This

  instrument is ideal for peptide samples up to 10, 000 Daltons.

  • Fast Atom Bombardment (FAB) on magnetic sector instruments

  (AEI, MS9, MS50) at both high and low resolutions with a mass range up to 4000 Daltons. Other ionization methods include electron impact, chemical and field ionization and field desorption.

  • Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption (MALDI) on time of flight

  instruments (Katros MALDI I and HP MALDI).

• Micro Analysis

  Micro Analysis Molecular weights (Westcan and Mechrolab osmometer) and elemental analysis of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen (Carlo Erba 1108), chlorine, iodine, bromine and sulfur are determined.

• Nmr Services

  NMR Services The Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) service facility in the Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry includes a Varian Unity 500 instrument, a Bruker AM 400/300 and Varian 300 instrument for solid state CPMAS experiments.

• Peptide Analogs

  API has recently added a multi-well peptide synthesizer to its equipment inventory. This custom made innovative instrument designed in Dr. Hodges' laboratory synthesizes up to 100 peptide analogs quickly and efficiently using Fmoc chemistry. This capability allows API to offer customers affordable peptide analogs and peptide libraries.

• Peptide Conjugation

  API conjugates peptides to any carrier by unique photoprobe technology developed in our laboratory. In addition, other chemical coupling methods and MAPS technology are available.

• Peptide Standards

  Peptide Standards API markets a series of HPLC peptide standards for reversed- phase, ion exchange, and size-exclusion chromatography. HPLC peptide standards are essential to:

  • Monitoring column performance (efficiency, selectivity, and

  resolution).

  • Standardize peptide retention times.
  • Monitor non-specific ionic interactions
  • Evaluate different packings (n-alkyl chain length. Ligand

  density) and packings from different manufacturers.

  • Monitoring the effect of changing elution conditions

  (solvents, buffers, gradient rates, flow rates, etc.).

• Peptide Synthesis

  Peptide Synthesis By employing a variety of chemistries, Boc/Fmoc synthetic strategies and instruments, API optimizes conditions for your custom synthesis. Peptides are synthesized from milligram to gram quantities using the ABI 430A peptide synthesizer or the Labortec SP640 semi-automatic synthesizer.

  All peptides are subjected to the following characterizations:

  • HPLC,
  • Amino Acid Analysis, and
  • Mass Spectrometry.

  Few peptide service facilities offer such comprehensive service at such an affordable price.

  API's modern laboratory and highly trained staff are fully capable of synthesizing complex peptides. API welcomes enquiries from researchers for unique and unusual sequences.

• Spectral Services

  Spectral Services Optical rotary dispersion (ORD) and circular dichroism (CD) services run on a Jasco ORD/UV-5-SS-20-2 instrument in the 190-700nm. range. Infrared spectrometry (IR) uses la Nicolet Magna 750 Fourier transform system with a spectral range of 15, 000 to 100cm.

Products

• Protein Sequencing

Additional Information