SBIR Awards $1.4-Million Grant to Accelerate Antibody Manufacturing Technology

Novilytic, a Purdue Research Park, West Lafayette, IN-based biochemistry analytics company, has been awarded a $1.4-million Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The contract will allow Novilytic to continue the research, development, and commercialization of its Proteometer, a new instrument technology being created for process chemists and engineers who need to develop better process quality and control, the company announced in a July 16, 2020 press release. The instrument is designed to test antibody purity in-process.

“The Proteometer represents a truly disruptive technology that will allow process research and manufacturing chemists and engineers to monitor and control antibody growth in process,” said Fred Regnier, chief technology officer and co-founder of Novilytic, and the former J.H. Law Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at Purdue, in the press release. “There is no technology available to do this currently. Novilytic is currently focused on the pharmaceutical bioreactor market that produces monoclonal antibodies, one of the most important biopharmaceuticals used to treat many cancers, diseases, and viruses.”

The company, which is also launching a seed round funding opportunity, will be opening new laboratories and hiring additional scientists in the coming months. Through the support of the Purdue Research Foundation and Purdue Foundry, Novilytic will continue to grow in the West Lafayette area.

“We are very grateful to the NIH and its support of our various developments,” said Paul Dreier, CEO of Novilytic, in the press release. “This marks our sixth straight SBIR grant. Initial grants led to the commercialization of patented medical devices. This award signifies our commitment to developing strong technology and patented instruments here in Indiana.”

Source: Novilytic