Extracellular domain proteins (ECD proteins) are regions of membrane proteins located outside the cell membrane and are essential for signal recognition, ligand binding, and cell–cell communication. Many key drug targets, including GPCRs, RTKs, and immune checkpoints such as PD-1 and CTLA-4, depend on their extracellular domains for biological function. ECDs play critical roles in immune regulation, tumorigenesis, and viral infection. As full-length membrane proteins are difficult to stabilize, soluble recombinant ECDs, generated by removing transmembrane regions, are widely used in membrane protein research and drug screening, including ELISA, SPR, and antibody discovery assays.
DIMA BIOTECH focuses on ECD proteins from single-pass membrane proteins and has successfully expressed1,600+ high-purity ECDs covering more than 900 targets, including GPCRs, immune checkpoints, tumor antigens, and metabolic receptors. 500+ targets are supported by matched flow cytometry antibodies. All ECD proteins are validated by SDS-PAGE for purity and ELISA for activity, enabling antibody screening, functional studies, and structural research in membrane protein drug development.
