KACTUS - High-Quality Recombinant Proteins and Enzymes that Accelerate Therapeutic Development - Distributed in the UK and Ireland by Caltag Medsystems

KACTUS

KACTUS is a recombinant protein and enzyme manufacturer, offering 3,000 off-the-shelf catalogue proteins. As the first company to express full-length Claudin 18.2, KACTUS has always embraced complex protein expression challenges. This has resulted in their catalogue of challenging proteins, such as MHC-peptide complexes, membrane proteins and gene editing enzymes. Additionally, their catalogue offers a broad range of proteins and enzymes for antibody drug discovery, cell therapy, gene therapy and RNA therapeutics.

KACTUS' proteins come in a variety of species, tags and labels, ensuring they meet the diverse needs of researchers. They manufacture their products in-house, using primarily mammalian expression systems to ensure proper protein folding and post-translational modifications. After expression, KACTUS performs rigorous quality control testing for purity and bioactivity using analytical techniques such as SPR, ELISA and SEC-HPLC. Each protein in their catalogue is approved based on its performance, consistency and stability of supply. This ensures a recombinant protein catalogue committed to both quality and reliability.

As confirmation of KACTUS' quality, they are ISO13485 certified and hold FDA Drug Master File Certifications.

See the Products Available:

MHC Monomers & Tetramers

Recombinant Proteins

Enzymes – GMP & RUO

Assay Kits

MHC Monomers & Tetramers

KACTUS has successfully developed a series of MHC complexes, including monomers, tetramers, chimeric MHCs and peptide-ready MHCs, as well as related custom services, fully supporting the development of tumour immunotherapy drugs. Their MHC complex portfolio covers popular antigens such as NY-ESO-1, KRAS, AFP, and HPV16, as well as various Class I alleles. These MHC products can be used to meet the diverse needs of immunology, molecular screening, TCR affinity validation, blocking assays and other applications.

MHC Product Features

Extensive catalogue of products
Extensive choice of Alleles
Verified bioactivity
Mammalian & coli expression systems
Biotinylation & Fluorescent Labels

MHC Product Portfolio

Peptide-MHC

Mammalian-expressed MHC monomers & tetramers

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Peptide-ready MHC

Load your own peptide in-house for a custom monomer or tetramer

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Biotinylated MHC

Biotinylated MHC monomers or tetramers for TCR screening and more

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Fluorescent MHC

Identify antigen-specific T cells using FACS

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See all MHC Monomers & Tetramers

Recombinant Proteins

KACTUS offers a large selection of recombinant proteins for research and drug development. This includes applications such as antibody screening, binding studies, immunotherapy development, analytical assays and basic research. Their proteins are typically expressed from HEK293 mammalian systems to ensure proper folding and glycosylation. Before entering the catalogue, KACTUS' products undergo thorough quality control testing for bioactivity and purity using assays such as SPR, ELISA, SEC-HPLC and Bis-Tris PAGE. Choose from various species (human, mouse, cynomolgus, rhesus macaque, canine, etc), tags (His, His-Avi, hFc, mFc) and labels (biotinylation, fluorescence) to meet your specific applications.

Enzymes – GMP & RUO

KACTUS offers a selection of recombinant enzymes in both research-grade and GMP-grade for gene editing, biologics manufacturing, RNA production and DNA production. Their off-the-shelf gene editors, AccuBase® Base Editor and Cas9 Protein, are manufactured according to cGMP standards and provide high gene editing efficiency. Additionally, they offer a Serratia marcescens nuclease, MaxNuclease™, for nucleic acid removal in biologics workflows. Finally, they offer catalogue enzymes for RNA production and in vitro DNA synthesis. KACTUS' enzymes have verified activity, batch consistency and purity and are available at small and large scales with a consistent, long-term supply.

Assay Kits

The team at KACTUS has developed a series of off-the-shelf assay kits for various applications. Their AAV Titration ELISA kits quantify intact AAV capsids for individual serotypes (2/5/6/8/9) with high specificity and sensitivity. Additionally, their Cas9 ELISA kit can be used to detect residual Cas9 protein in edited cells with high accuracy. This kit has been validated with various wild-type and engineered Cas9 proteins with consistent detection. KACTUS ELISA kits use recombinant monoclonal antibodies to ensure consistency.

KACTUS' Products by Application

Target Proteins for Drug Discovery

Immune Checkpoint Proteins
Fc Receptor Proteins
CAR-T Therapy Proteins
CD3 Proteins
Integrin Proteins
Cadherin Proteins

Gene Editing Enzymes

AccuBase® – The Next Generation Base Editor
Cas9 Protein – The classic CRISPR Workhorse

Products for Cell Therapy

MHC Monomers & Tetramers
CAR-T Proteins
Cytokines for Cell Culture

Custom Services

KACTUS specialises in providing customised solutions for recombinant protein production. Whether you require modifications to existing proteins or entirely novel constructs, they are committed to delivering active, efficient and scalable results. Their recombinant protein production experience, along with their proprietary SAMS™ platform, will ensure your product has the optimal configuration and expression conditions for bioactivity and purity.

Blog posts

KACTUS have developed a dsRNA Quick-Quantification Kit to detect the presence of undesired dsRNA molecules in IVT reactions or dsRNA in viral/non-viral nucleic acid extracts.

KACTUS has carefully developed a highly sensitive spCas9 detection kit.

Category	Title
Proteins Documents	VLP & Nanodisc Displayed Antigens	View
KACTUS has developed a catalogue of full-length multipass transmembrane proteins displayed on virus-like particles (VLPs) or copolymer nanodiscs for immunisation, affinity testing, PK/PD studies, antibody characterisation and other drug discovery applications.
Enzymes Documents	Gene Editing Enzymes	View
GMP-Grade & Research-Grade Enzymes for Gene Editing
Enzymes Documents	GMP-Grade mRNA Production Enzymes	View
KACTUS provides a range of GMP-grade and research-grade IVT enzymes for large-scale mRNA production.
Catalogue Documents	Recombinant Protein Catalogue	View
KACTUS excels in crafting and producing an array of superior-grade, highly active recombinant proteins and enzymes, catering to diverse sectors like antibody drug discovery, immunotherapy, biologics and cell therapy. Their expansive catalog, boasting over 3000 recombinant proteins, encompasses a wide spectrum of targets, species, tags, and labels, each thoughtfully chosen to address the specific, unmet needs of scientists engaged in drug development. The hallmark of their product selection process is a rigorous emphasis on exceptional quality and a steadfast commitment to ensuring reliable supply, thereby upholding the highest standards of excellence and client satisfaction.
RNA Documents	Versatile T7 RNA polymerases that generate less immunostimulatory mRNA Poster	View
In vitro transcription (IVT) utilizing T7 RNA polymerase (T7 RNAP) for the synthesis of messenger RNA (mRNA) is efficient and well-established for the production of large quantities of synthetic RNA. However, T7 RNAP can generate undesirable, immunostimulatory mRNA byproducts such as double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). To reduce these concerns, we rationally engineered a series of T7 RNAP mutants and compared their functional properties to those of wild-type and commercially available T7 RNAP. Among these characteristics are dsRNA, circular RNA, processivity, and yield.
Cancer Documents	Transforming Tumor Research: Engineering MHCs as Versatile Reagents Poster	View
When dealing with solid tumors lacking specific biomarkers, the effectiveness of adoptive T cell therapy using TCR-T treatments is limited. We believe that the absence of dependable, multifaceted MHC reagents has been a hindrance in the research and development of treatments for solid tumors. To address this unmet need, we have engineered MHC molecules in several formats with diverse applications and high stability. These improved, highly active MHC molecules have the potential to facilitate solid tumor research and development.
Drug Discovery Documents	GPCR VLPs & Nanodiscs for Drug Discovery Poster	View
G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), also known as seven-transmembrane receptors, represent the most important class of drug targets. However, extraction and purification of membrane proteins like GPCRs, ion channels, and transporters are generally challenging due to low expression levels and the hydrophobic nature of transmembrane segments. To tackle this challenge, we have engineered and produced GPCRs in VLP and/or nanodisc formats, which have been successfully applied to GPCR antibody drug discovery and various in vitro assays.
Tetramers Documents	Case Study - TCR Staining using PE-Labeled prMHC Tetramer	View
Case study demonstrating the application of peptide-ready MHCs in identifying antigen-specific T cells. A leading TCR company used peptide-ready MHCs to identify antigen-specific CD3+ cells using their own proprietary peptide and TCR-expressing cell lines. KACTUS peptide-ready MHCs were able to distinguish complete TCR expressing cell populations from incomplete TCR expressing cell populations.
Service Documents	Custom SPR Services	View
KACTUS offers experienced SPR assay services with various sample combinations and detection methods to meet the unique needs of your binding and affinity experiments.
Proteins Documents	Solute Carrier Proteins	View
KACTUS offers custom full-length solute carrier protein expression services displayed on VLPs or nanodiscs for various drug discovery applications.