Protein production - dealing with the unpredictable

Often the first activity within a new project is the generation of protein reagents for assay development, antibody discovery or structural studies. This poses problems for the protein biochemist working within industry as we have to give a timeline for delivery and years of experience suggest that it is almost impossible to predict how long it will take to express and purify a protein. Using worked examples I will highlight the unpredictability of recombinant protein production and share details on the processes implemented at UCB to increase chances of success.