Initially, growth factors were defined as a class of secreted bioactive molecules that affect cell growth, but this definition has now been broadened to include secreted factors that promote or inhibit mitosis or affect cell differentiation. They act on surface receptors of characteristic cells, transmitting their growth signals to other intracellular components, resulting in changes in gene expression.

Many growth factors are peptides/proteins, they bind with a high affinity to a specific surface receptor. Most cell surface receptors for growth factors show tyrosine kinase activity, meaning they put a phosphate group on a downstream protein tyrosine residue. An exception is the surface receptors for the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) family of cytokines. When activated by the binding of TGF-β cytokines, the receptor phosphorylates downstream proteins on serine and threonine residues.

Some growth factors are small peptides called cytokines. Although all cytokines affect signal transduction pathways, only those cytokines that affect cell growth/differentiation signaling pathways are considered growth factors. Examples of protein growth factors are epidermal growth factor (EGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF). Growth factors achieve specificity for specific cell types through the expression of highly specific cell surface receptors.

In addition, some growth factors such as lipid-soluble steroid hormones have no surface receptors, they directly pass through the plasma membrane, and transmit growth signals by binding to intracellular protein receptors or nuclear receptors. Estrogens, androgens, and progestins are examples of steroid hormones that are growth factors, but not all hormones are growth factors, and only those that affect cell growth and differentiation are called growth factors.

Alterations in signal transduction pathways are closely related to cancer. One of the key pathways activated by growth factor binding to a surface receptor is the PI3K/AKT pathway. Once activated by AKT, it promotes cell growth, cell motility, angiogenesis and inhibits apoptosis. Cancer cells exhibit resistance to apoptosis, giving cancer cells a survival advantage. So, the regulation of some growth factors and their receptors is involved in tumor formation.

Figure 1. The stepwise progression of cancer and roles for growth factors (Witsch, E.; et al. 2010)

GMP Grade Growth Factors from Creative BioMart

Quality management system has always been the focus of the industry. These growth factor products must be safe and effective during immunotherapy research. But during the manufacturing process, the quality of recombinant protein obtained in vitro may vary due to a variety of reasons ranging from raw material quality to process inconsistencies. As a leading recombinant protein supplier, Creative BioMart is based on the GMP-level quality management system platform, combined with the production specifications of cell therapy drugs, to provide consistent, safe, and traceable GMP protein reagents for therapeutic drug manufacturers. At present, we have developed a series of high-quality GMP-grade growth factors with high safety, purity, stability, and efficacy to better promote the research of therapeutic drugs and accelerate the global regulatory approval of biological products.

We have an advanced and scale-up ready protein development platform with over 10 years of experience in GMP protein production. We provide customized one-stop services to global customers through a comprehensive quality management system and verification system to maximize your project success rate.

Quality Standards

• High biological activity
• Multiple expression systems
• High purity, SDS-PAGE>95%
• Low endotoxin levels
• Batch-to-batch consistency
• Microbial and mycoplasma testing
• In vitro virus assay

Quality Management System

• ISO 5 cleanrooms
• Automatic filling equipment
• Batch production and control records
• Stability study
• Manufacturing and QC testing according to GMP compliance
• Comprehensive regulatory support files

As an industry leader in GMP-grade protein manufacturing, Creative BioMart can provide small-scale and large-scale GMP production, formulation, and filling/finishing. Our products are generated from the same cloning and expression system as research-grade proteins, and allow various manufacturing scales from 10L to 500L to meet all customer needs from academic research to commercial production. Welcome to contact us for more detailed information.

Product List

* For research use only. Not intended for any clinical use. No products from Creative BioMart may be resold, modified for resale or used to manufacture commercial products without prior written approval from Creative BioMart.

References
1. Dinarello, C.A. Historical Review of Cytokines. Eur J Immunol. 2011.
2. O’Shea, J.J; et al. Cytokines and autoimmunity. Nat Rev Immunol. 2002.