Commercialisation of shark soloMERs™ as a platform for biologics drugs discovery and development
Even ancient species such as shark have antibody like proteins patrolling their blood looking for infections. Whatever these proteins bind to are marked for destruction by the body. Biotechnology can now make these proteins in the laboratory to recognise, bind and destroy cells that cause cancer or inflammation.
Together, the University of Aberdeen and Aberdeen City have become a major centre for the synthesis of medicines from compounds derived from living organisms - biologics. Professor Andy Porter has led ground-breaking research into soloMERs™, found in the blood of sharks, these antibody-like structures have the smallest binding sites so far identified in the animal kingdom. They can be selected in the laboratory to have high specificity for therapeutic and their small size allows them to reach parts of the body larger antibodies cannot. Together this research validated a new drug discovery platform now commercialised as Elasmogen Ltd.
Spinout companies (Haptogen Ltd, Cyclogenix Ltd, NovaBiotics Ltd and Elasmogen Ltd) have completed successful efficacy studies in late stage pre-clinical models, with trials in humans expected for more complex antibodies in the near future. NovaBiotics Ltd has already completed a successful safety study in man with its antifungal peptide biologic and has begun its efficacy studies in patients.
The University of Aberdeen, together with the surrounding City, make up one of only a very few regions in the UK able to boast a cluster of businesses working in biologics drug discovery. Together these companies are developing an exciting regional pipeline of protein drugs able to target and fight a broad range of diseases including infections, inflammation and cancer
Professor Andy Porter
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Key publications
- Dooley H, Flajnik MF, Porter A.J.R. Selection and characterization of naturally occurring single-domain (IgNAR) antibody fragments from immunized sharks by phage display. Mol Immunol. 40(1):25-33 (2003).
- Shao C-Y, Secombes, C.J., and Porter, A.J.R. (2007). Rapid isolation of IgNAR variable single-domain antibody fragments from a shark synthetic library. Mol Immunol. 44(4):10 (2007)