Bruce Bryan, MD
CEO & President
Prolume has cloned and patented several genes from bioluminescent marine organisms that encode fluorescent and luminescent proteins. The company seeks to license these genes to companies for use in biomedicine and biotechnology – as components of platform technologies and as research or diagnostic reagents.
Prolume’s three green fluorescent proteins (GFPs) from marine anthozoans (Renilla mulleri, Renilla reniformis and Ptilosarcus) are intrinsically brighter than any other GFPs on the market, including the brightest variants of the well-known Aequorea GFP. Prolume’s GFPs have many potential uses in diverse areas such as drug discovery and biomedical research; high throughput screening (HTS); fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS); transgenic reporting of gene expression in cells, animals and plants; environmental and process monitoring; and many proteomics applications, including protein biochips, and dynamic monitoring of protein interactions using FRET or BRET.
Prolume is also currently developing a patented copepod luciferase (Gaussia princeps) that is exceptionally bright, small and biochemically robust. The company is seeking licensees/collaborators to help realize the great technical potential of this enzyme. Prolume also synthesizes bulk quantities of coelenterazine, the luciferin natively utilized by the photoprotein Aequorin and many luciferases, including those of Renilla reniformis and Gaussia. Prolume sells coelenterazine into both wholesale and end-user markets.
Prolume also holds broad patents covering the use of bioluminescent proteins in consumer products, including foods and beverages, toys and novelties, and entertainment and education applications. The company is interested in partners and investors for the long-term development of bioluminescent products for these consumer markets.