By Jerry Stoecklein
For WisBusiness.com
Antibodies form the basis of a multibillion industry in biomedical research. Because they evolved for specific biological roles, however, they can be unstable outside of laboratory settings. That means basic research for diagnostic or therapeutic research goes unfulfilled.
StableBody Technologies, a start-up based in Middleton with labs in Madison and Chicago, is commercializing a novel method of altering the structure of antibodies to make them more durable.
“We’re not trying to make antibodies, we’re trying to make them better,” said Joe Firca, chief executive officer of StableBody Technologies.
The company is commercializing a technique developed by Dr. Fred Stevens, a leading scientist in the Biosciences Division of Argonne National Laboratories, and it has obtained the license for use of this patented technology.
Antibodies are typically produced using laboratory animals as “manufacturing platforms.” The method used by StableBody Technologies produces recombinant antibodies, which don’t require animals, and have shorter manufacturing time. It also allows for the custom design of monoclonal antibodies to meet the development and production needs of the therapeutic and diagnostic markets.
“The biggest drawback in the therapeutic and diagnostic markets is that antibodies are not thermally stable; they can denature at room temperature, they have limited shelf-life,” said Firca. “If you’re storing antibodies after using half or a quarter of them, if you don’t use the rest before they expire, you’re not allowed to use them.”
Deven McGlenn, CEO of NeoClone, an antibody producing company from Madison, said the technology has important applications in warm climates and third world countries, where temperatures normally destabilize proteins.
“Right now in Haiti, there’s a cholera outbreak. If you have a diagnostic test where your enzymes are stable at high temperatures, you can use that to identify cholera cases more cheaply and effectively,” said McGlenn.
Antibodies are proteins, bundles of amino acids that latch on to specific targets. StableBody’s method can make small changes in the types of amino acid that make up the protein, to increase stability without sacrificing the function.
Because proteins are copied from genes, StableBody’s genome-based method allows them to develop more stable antibodies faster and easier, thus saving valuable research and development money.
“We will probably start as a service to other companies who are making antibodies, we do have proprietary products, though we will mostly look to license our technology,” said H. Rossiter Horn, the company’s chief operating officer.
StableBody Technologies has won several contracts in the last year. The company is working on antibody stabilization with the Department of Defense, creating new antibody structure. More recently, it received a subcontract to work with the University of Cincinnati Medical College for antibody stabilization work on target pharmaceutical products.
StableBody Technologies also received the Qualified New Business Venture certification from the Wisconsin Department of Commerce, certifying the company’s eligibility for up to $4 million in investment from investors who can receive a 25 percent state tax credit. They were also one of the winners of the 2010 Biotechnology Vision Summit’s Emerging Company Showcase, chosen because of a successful movement beyond research and development and a good proof of concept for their product.
The market that StableBody hopes to crack is massive: With more than 400 antibodies currently in development in various stages, the current market for the therapeutic market is more than $25 billion and expected to approach $45 billion by 2012. Sales for antibodies currently exceed $8 billion annually.
“Companies are always looking for innovation, and the market is growing,” said McGlenn.
The technology may even be able to extend patents. Using StableBody’s methods creates a novel molecule, allowing a company to take an existing patented product and patent the improved molecule.
“All proteins are different; our technology may not be as ubiquitous as we think it is. Not all proteins may be able to be improved, but we’re pretty sure we can improve a majority of them,” said Horn.
StableBody Technologies is seeking $3 to $6 million in private equity financing to cover initial capitalization and start-up operations, and to develop proprietary technology. The firm was selected as one of two dozen companies to present at the 2010 Wisconsin Early Stage Symposium this week at the Monona Terrace, sponsored by the Wisconsin Technology Council.
— Stoecklein is a graduate student in the UW-Madison Department of Life Sciences Communication.
