Opn3 receptor platform for high-throughput bitterness-modulator screening
The University of California, Santa Barbara has developed a high-throughput screening platform using the Opn3 receptor, a mammalian GPCR identified as a bitter taste sensor. The platform allows for the identification of taste modulators that can mask bitterness in foods, medications, and oral care products by targeting bitter flavonoids. The technology is available for licensing.
Overview
Researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara have developed a novel screening platform based on the Opn3 receptor to identify compounds that modulate bitter taste. While opsins are classically known as light-sensing G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), this platform utilizes the Opn3 receptor, which has been identified as a mammalian taste receptor expressed in Type II taste cells. Opn3 specifically recognizes and responds to bitter flavonoid compounds found in a variety of common food sources, such as citrus fruits, cocoa, soybeans, and green tea. This platform enables the discovery of taste modulators to improve the palatability of various products, including food, beverages, dietary supplements, oral care products, and medications.
Technical specifications
The Opn3 receptor platform provides an in vitro expression system capable of high-throughput screening for taste modulators. Key features and capabilities include:
- Enables targeted activation and modulation of the Opn3 receptor.
- Facilitates the efficient screening of compounds to identify those that block or mask bitter taste.
- Leverages the Opn3 receptor's response to bitter flavonoid ligands, which engage canonical G protein alpha-gustducin taste transduction pathways.
- Applicable to a wide range of industries including food science, pharmaceuticals, and oral hygiene.
Technology readiness level
The technology is in development. It has been characterized in functional studies in both mice and human cells, and a patent application for the technology has been published (US20240142474). It is currently being offered for licensing to facilitate commercial application and further product development. Based on this, it is assessed at a TRL of 4.
About University of California, Santa Barbara
UC Santa Barbara is a comprehensive public research university with a collaborative, innovation‑driven culture. Industry partners engage through co‑located cleanrooms and prototyping suites, campus‑wide shared instrumentation, and flexible sponsored‑research agreements coordinated by an industry partnerships team. The coastal campus sits within a Central Coast technology corridor, supporting close collaboration, recruiting pipelines, capstone engagements, and short‑course training tailored to corporate needs. Research is sustained by competitive federal funding from NSF, DOE, DOD, and NIH. A dedicated technology transfer office manages IP, licensing, and startup formation to speed commercialization.
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