The world of academia has recently begun a transformative process that is connecting it to the realm of big business.
One of the fastest growing links between the world of study and that of commerce is in the field of biotechnology, where scientists are seeking to achieve more than a published scientific paper.
Research carried out in advanced biotechnology is now being transformed into high-value startups that are continuing the developmental process.
About Spy Biotech
One such startup is Spy Biotech. Founded by Oxford University Research Scientists, Spy Biotech is working on a unique biotech solution that uses a unique protein superglue that is set to revolutionize the way vaccines are manufactured and stabilized.
Spy Biotech Unique Vaccine Solution
Spy Biotech has recently announced a $5 million USD funding round success fueled by Google/Alphabet backed VC, as well as Oxford University-backed venture capital fund Oxford Sciences Innovations.
This recent seed funding round, according to Spy Biotech founder Sumi Biswas, will be used to perform intensive trials on the Spy Biotech solution.
Biswas, apart from working as one of the minds that fuel the Spy Biotech project, also works as an assistant professor at the Jenner Institute at Oxford, a vaccine development and research institution named after Edward Jenner, the creator of the world’s first vaccine.
The original discovery that led to the creation of the Spy Biotech solution was made at the Jenner Institute.
What Is Spy Biotech's Vaccine Solution?
Biswas, working with several other professors working in the Jenner Institute facility, found that a specific bacteria demonstrated unique and highly useful properties when divided into two parts.
The Streptococcus pyogenes bacteria, which is responsible for illnesses such as strep throat and other throat infections, can be divided into two sections- a peptide and a protein partner.
The “Spy” in the the Spy Biotech names comes from the abbreviation of the name Streptococcus pyogenes, which, when divided into two parts- SpyCatcher and SpyTag- can be used to bond vaccines together.
How Does It Work?
The technique the Spy Biotech solution uses is cutting edge- a traditional vaccine manufacture typically involves either using fertilized embryonic eggs or animal cells to produce vaccine batches.
The Spy Biotech solution uses a new form of manufacture called virus-like particles, which, while functionally and structurally similar to pathogens, aren’t capable of causing illnesses.
The unique function of the Spy Biotech solution is able to bond antigens, the elements that the immune system of the body “reads” to create an immunological response, to virus-like particles and create vaccines faster and more efficiently than traditional solutions.
Is Spy Biotech's Vaccine Solution The Future?
The Spy Biotech solution has also been demonstrated to create far more thermostable vaccines. Vaccines typically lose potency and effectiveness over time, as small temperature changes can render them inert or nonviable.
Cold-chain systems that keep vaccines between 2 and 8 degrees are currently used to transport vaccines, but the Spy Biotech manufacturing method offers novel implementation techniques that may be able to provide vaccines that can be delivered outside of cold-chain systems.
This first round of seed funding will contribute to the further development of the solution, but founder Sumi Biswas states that there will likely be further rounds in future to enable the licensing of the solution to other vaccine manufacturers, as well as enable Spy Biotech to make their own vaccines.
