Creating nanomedicines from antibodies

A new Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage grant, valued at $360,000 over three years, will assist ongoing development of antibody technology developed by immuno-oncology company Minomic.

The grant has been awarded to Dr Kristofer Thurecht and Associate Professor Stephen Mahler (The University of Queensland) and Professor Pamela Russell (Queensland University of Technology), with Minomic named as an industry partner.

The researchers’ project aims to develop and optimise technology for the conjugation of nanomaterials with antibodies to create next-generation nanomedicines. A novel antibody developed by Minomic, MIL38, will provide the test bed for the technology.

According to Minomic CEO Dr Brad Walsh, the grant will “support development and commercialisation of new diagnostics and therapeutics for a range of diseases”. The researchers believe the project has the potential to rapidly improve the ligation process between synthetic nanomaterials and biologics, leading to more efficient synthesis of targeted diagnostics.

“The University of Queensland and the Centre for Advanced Imaging are using this high-class scientific platform to perform a range of antibody engineering techniques that are novel and may be applied to existing drugs to improve them dramatically,” said Minomic’s head of research and development, Dr Doug Campbell.

“It is a terrific opportunity for Minomic to be involved from the outset and we welcome this funding to progress this important project.”