Max
04-18-2002, 06:36 PM
Out of the ivory tower
UCI professors have started their own company to raise money for their medical research
Photos
Medical research
(GREG FRY / DP)
Apr 9, 2002
By Deirdre Newman
While an academic environment is good for research, it's not the ideal setting for raising huge amounts of money.
That's why two UC Irvine researchers have abandoned the ivory tower and started a private company to develop a human antibody for the paralyzing effects of multiple sclerosis and spinal cord injuries.
Tom Lane and Hans Keirstead founded Ability Biomedical Corp. and moved into their new office in an Irvine business park this week. They expect the laboratory to be up and running in a few weeks. While they both intend to continue with their teaching responsibilities at UCI, they said starting a private company will enable them to raise more money faster and expedite the development of the antibody on their own terms.
"You either hand it off to a big pharmaceutical, if they're so interested, or move it forward yourself," Keirstead said. "So Tom and I have created a company to build it forward ourselves because we feel that we are the best minds since we are the founders of the technology in the first place."
Lane came to UCI in 1998 and started working on a viral model for multiple sclerosis right away. Scientists don't know the exact cause of the disease but suspect there could be a link between a viral infection and multiple sclerosis, Lane said.
His research in mice identified a protein that was found in large supply in areas where parts of nerve tissue had been destroyed by the ailment. This model confirmed the pattern of multiple sclerosis in patients and was the first to show the potency of the protein's effect in an animal model.
The next step was developing an antibody, which was so successful that it reversed paralysis in mice that had been injected with a virus that causes a multiple sclerosis-like disease.
"When the animals started walking again, we saw repair of the nervous tissue," Lane said.
The collaboration between Lane, an assistant professor of molecular biology and biochemistry, and Keirstead, an assistant professor of anatomy and neurobiology, started after Lane gave a presentation at UCI's Reeve Irvine Research Center, where Keirstead works. Keirstead, an expert in spinal cord regeneration, saw similarities between the research Lane was conducting on multiple sclerosis and spinal cord injuries.
Keirstead suggested using Lane's antibody on his model of spinal cord injuries, and it worked "like gangbusters" to block paralysis in mice, Lane said.
In addition to the scientific research, the personalities of the two scientists meshed as well, Lane said.
It was Keirstead who came up with the idea of starting a private company about a year and a half ago. Keirstead drew on his experience beginning a previous company in Canada. He is chief executive and president of Ability Biomedical, while Lane is the chief scientific officer.
"I know how to build a company and raise money," Keirstead said. "It was a very clear path for me and an extension of our desire to move this science into people."The business plan for the company wowed investors, scoring funding on the company's first round of venture capital presentations.
The researchers also had to license the technology they developed from UCI, crediting university officials with supporting their endeavor.
The company expects to develop a human antibody within a year and to start clinical trials within another year.
Lane stressed the company will not be able to choose specifically who can participate in the clinical trials.
The researchers will also explore other potential targets for treating multiple sclerosis and ways its technology can be applied to other diseases, such as strokes.
Walking through the empty lab that will soon be bustling with activity, Lane said he is excited to see their efforts come to fruition.
"[Keirstead] and I got our PhDs and went into biomedical research with the goal of developing something to help people, and we're in the position now to really make that happen," Lane said.
* Deirdre Newman covers education. She may be reached at (949) 574-4221 or by e-mail at deirdre.newman@latimes.com .
If you want other stories on this topic, search the Archives at latimes.com/archives.
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UCI professors have started their own company to raise money for their medical research
Photos
Medical research
(GREG FRY / DP)
Apr 9, 2002
By Deirdre Newman
While an academic environment is good for research, it's not the ideal setting for raising huge amounts of money.
That's why two UC Irvine researchers have abandoned the ivory tower and started a private company to develop a human antibody for the paralyzing effects of multiple sclerosis and spinal cord injuries.
Tom Lane and Hans Keirstead founded Ability Biomedical Corp. and moved into their new office in an Irvine business park this week. They expect the laboratory to be up and running in a few weeks. While they both intend to continue with their teaching responsibilities at UCI, they said starting a private company will enable them to raise more money faster and expedite the development of the antibody on their own terms.
"You either hand it off to a big pharmaceutical, if they're so interested, or move it forward yourself," Keirstead said. "So Tom and I have created a company to build it forward ourselves because we feel that we are the best minds since we are the founders of the technology in the first place."
Lane came to UCI in 1998 and started working on a viral model for multiple sclerosis right away. Scientists don't know the exact cause of the disease but suspect there could be a link between a viral infection and multiple sclerosis, Lane said.
His research in mice identified a protein that was found in large supply in areas where parts of nerve tissue had been destroyed by the ailment. This model confirmed the pattern of multiple sclerosis in patients and was the first to show the potency of the protein's effect in an animal model.
The next step was developing an antibody, which was so successful that it reversed paralysis in mice that had been injected with a virus that causes a multiple sclerosis-like disease.
"When the animals started walking again, we saw repair of the nervous tissue," Lane said.
The collaboration between Lane, an assistant professor of molecular biology and biochemistry, and Keirstead, an assistant professor of anatomy and neurobiology, started after Lane gave a presentation at UCI's Reeve Irvine Research Center, where Keirstead works. Keirstead, an expert in spinal cord regeneration, saw similarities between the research Lane was conducting on multiple sclerosis and spinal cord injuries.
Keirstead suggested using Lane's antibody on his model of spinal cord injuries, and it worked "like gangbusters" to block paralysis in mice, Lane said.
In addition to the scientific research, the personalities of the two scientists meshed as well, Lane said.
It was Keirstead who came up with the idea of starting a private company about a year and a half ago. Keirstead drew on his experience beginning a previous company in Canada. He is chief executive and president of Ability Biomedical, while Lane is the chief scientific officer.
"I know how to build a company and raise money," Keirstead said. "It was a very clear path for me and an extension of our desire to move this science into people."The business plan for the company wowed investors, scoring funding on the company's first round of venture capital presentations.
The researchers also had to license the technology they developed from UCI, crediting university officials with supporting their endeavor.
The company expects to develop a human antibody within a year and to start clinical trials within another year.
Lane stressed the company will not be able to choose specifically who can participate in the clinical trials.
The researchers will also explore other potential targets for treating multiple sclerosis and ways its technology can be applied to other diseases, such as strokes.
Walking through the empty lab that will soon be bustling with activity, Lane said he is excited to see their efforts come to fruition.
"[Keirstead] and I got our PhDs and went into biomedical research with the goal of developing something to help people, and we're in the position now to really make that happen," Lane said.
* Deirdre Newman covers education. She may be reached at (949) 574-4221 or by e-mail at deirdre.newman@latimes.com .
If you want other stories on this topic, search the Archives at latimes.com/archives.
Click here for article licensing and reprint options
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