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Dr. Ajay Maghodia and Christoph Geisler are collaborating on a project. (Wyoming Business Council)
By Baylie Evans, writer, Wyoming Business Council
Working in a laboratory at the University of Wyoming, molecular biology professor Don Jarvis and his team are genetically developing insect cells to mimic human cells and create better vaccines and treatments for diseases.
They do this by modifying a key pathway in insect cells, which allows them to produce vaccines and other protein-based drugs, or "biological products," with more humane structures. Without the proper structures, these drugs will not work.
"It sounds like a little adjustment. It's not rocket science, "joked Jarvis.
It may not be rocket science, but it is biochemistry and genetic engineering.
Jarvis uses synthetic insulin as an example of the type of work done by his spin-off company, GlycoBac.
Dr. Ajay Maghodia, Research Scientist at GlycoBac (Wyoming Business Council)
"At the time, insulin for diabetics was produced in pork pancreas," he said. "It took two tons of pork pancreas to produce just eight ounces of insulin. And the process involved many uncertainties, including potential contamination with an infectious disease and potential limitations in the supply chain. "
Now, thanks to biotechnology, insulin can be made in bacteria, which can be grown in large tanks, much like the fermentation tanks used to produce beer. It's safer and more reliable, Jarvis said. If all goes according to plan, his team could also contribute to the manufacture of inexpensive, safe and reliable influenza vaccines using insect cells grown in huge vats.
Currently, the most common influenza vaccines are grown in chicken eggs, which presents many of the same problems in producing insulin from pork organs.
"To manufacture enough vaccines to serve the world, we need tens of millions of eggs produced in specialized facilities and in special conditions. It's crazy, he says. "In 2004, there was a serious shortage of influenza vaccine in the United States, as some of the 50 million doses of influenza vaccine produced from eggs from a large plant in England were contaminated with bacteria. In addition, the growth of viruses in these huge facilities poses a serious biological risk. "
Another approach is to use biotechnology to produce influenza vaccines without producing the influenza virus itself, Jarvis explained. The process has the same clinical effect as egg-based vaccines, but with increased reliability and safety – and, at present, a higher price.
"Our preliminary data suggests that if we can use genetically engineered insect cells to make a more genuine vaccine, we can drop the effective dose by a significant amount; maybe 100 times, "Jarvis said.
Jarvis launched GlycoBac in 2011 after he and Dr. Christoph Geisler, one of his graduate students and now the company's scientific director, won the John P. Ellbogen 10K Entrepreneurship 2010 contest at the University of Toronto. Wyoming. This is only one example among the 25 spin-off companies born in the University of Wyoming since 2009. There are currently two more in negotiation.
Christoph Geisler, co-founder and chief researcher at GlycoBac. (Wyoming Business Council)
Henry Nowak, former director of the University Technology Transfer Office and Business Resources – partner of the Wyoming Business Council – explained the process: When professors wish to create spin-off companies, they badociate with the To do it, as intellectual property. the University of Purchase developed belongs to the school. They meet his office to discuss the idea and options, and the office decides whether and when to file a patent application. If successful, the patent application process can take up to five years and 50,000 US dollars just for the US patent; much more for international patents.
Then, if the spin-off is patented, the university develops licensing agreements with the company and requests standard royalty rates based on several factors.
"All the royalties we receive are distributed to the inventors and UW," Nowak said. "The percentage of royalties that go to the inventors is one of the most generous in the country."
Fees collected by the university can help offset the cost of patents for successful businesses. In rare cases, the financial benefit can be enormous.
"If there is a very successful company, it can be a boon to the university," Nowak said. "For example, Gatorade, a trademark, reports tens of millions of dollars every year to the University of Florida. An artificial egg white substitute discovered at North Carolina State University brings in millions of dollars a year. Some drugs discovered in universities and developed by pharmaceutical companies can bring billions of dollars back to the university during the patent term. "
However, most universities only pay enough royalties to run the patent office itself. Instead, the main benefit for a university like UW is the entrepreneurial culture and the self-sustaining startup cycle that a few successful spin-outs can encourage in a community.
Jarvis is an inventor of 14 US patents and has four others, most of which were obtained while working at the University of Wyoming. He added that the University's support allowed him to start the business.
In addition to its intellectual property license with UW, GlycoBac leases laboratories in the Wyoming Technology Business Center on the campus of UW, also a partner of the Business Council. The WTBC focuses on the development of start-up companies with high technological potential and high growth potential. Clients receive personalized business coaching and coaching designed to help them grow taller and faster than themselves.
"I could never have started this business without the support of the university," Jarvis said.
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