Prolific Machines Receives Grant to Develop a Platform to Produce Affordable Monoclonal Antibodies to Prevent Infectious Disease in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
14 Agosto 2024 - 9:00AM
Business Wire
- Prolific Machines receives grant from the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation to use its photomolecular biotechnology platform
to develop more affordable monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) while
enhancing product quality
- Prolific Machines will apply its optogenetics expertise to
enable reproducible biomanufacturing solutions that create global
access to life-saving drugs for vulnerable populations in low- and
middle-income countries (LMICs)
Prolific Machines, a biotechnology innovator harnessing light to
deliver unprecedented cellular control, has received a grant from
the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to leverage its pioneering
platform to produce more affordable mAbs. The company’s technology
has the potential to reduce mAb production costs while enhancing
product quality, making these drugs more accessible and affordable
for the prevention of infectious diseases like malaria, HIV, and
RSV in LMICs.
MAbs are revolutionizing how diseases are treated and even
cured, creating a profound impact on human health. Unlike vaccines,
which rely on the body’s ability to generate a strong immune
response over time to develop a high level of protective
antibodies, mAbs can provide protection almost immediately after
administration and work even in immunocompromised individuals.
High manufacturing costs make mAbs prohibitively expensive to
much of the developing world, with access to these life-changing
therapies largely limited to high-income countries. While 80% of
the sales of monoclonal antibodies are in the U.S., Canada, and
Europe, 85% of the world’s population live in LMICs according to an
International AIDS Vaccine Initiative report.
mAbs are among the most promising therapies to prevent and block
malaria transmission. The World Health Organization estimated over
600,000 people worldwide died from malaria in 2022. More than 75%
were children under age five.
Optogenetics is a promising biomanufacturing tool for mAb and
difficult to express (DTE) protein production as it provides
precise, highly tunable control over any biological process.
Harnessing optogenetics for mAb production could lower the cost per
dose, increasing accessibility and preventing diseases such as
malaria, HIV and RSV in the poorest countries.
Prolific Machines, with support from the foundation, will use
its expertise in optogenetics to demonstrate the production of mAbs
. If successful, the methods could readily be applied to address
unmet medical needs in LMICs, and the eventual drug could lead to
broad implementation to the most vulnerable people by making safe
and effective mAbs more affordable so they can be used to prevent
infectious diseases where they are needed most.
"Our platform offers massive potential to produce better
biologics and cell-based therapies using light. We're honored to be
receiving support from the Gates Foundation to reimagine how these
medicines are made so that we can open up access to these critical
therapies,” said Deniz Kent, PhD Prolific Machine's Co-Founder
& CEO. "We look forward to leveraging our learnings from this
grant to ensure the success of future programs.”
Learn more about Prolific Machines’ technology and capabilities
at prolific-machines.com, and contact
partners@prolific-machines.com to explore partnership
opportunities.
About Prolific Machines
Prolific Machines is ushering in a new era of biotechnology
using light. The Bay Area company harnesses light to produce
everyday essentials more efficiently, from food and lifesaving
drugs to novel biosolutions. Its groundbreaking photomolecular
biology platform leverages optogenetics tools, alongside
proprietary hardware and AI, to unlock unparalleled cellular
precision and dynamic control over virtually any cell function in
any cell type. Prolific is co-developing the future of biology with
innovators across pharmaceuticals, nutritional proteins, and
cellular agriculture to create a healthier, more sustainable
tomorrow. Prolific Machines is supported by leading investors,
including The Ki Tua Fund, the corporate venture arm of the
Fonterra Co-operative Group; Breakthrough Energy Ventures;
Mayfield; SOSV; In-Q-Tel; and others. Visit prolific-machines.com
to learn more, and contact partners@prolific-machines.com to
inquire about co-developing the future of biology.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240814728552/en/
Nicki Briggs, MS, RDN VP, Communications
comms@prolific-machines.com