MicroRx, the business development arm of the Infectious Disease SuperCluster in the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, recently established a collaborative agreement with Maine Biotechnology Services (MBS). MBS is an antibody discovery company that offers a full range of antibody development services and products to the diagnostic market.
The agreement allows researchers affiliated with the SuperCluster to propose projects to develop antibodies against diseases within their expertise. MBS will provide antibodies to the researchers and license the antibody for commercial use.
"The MBS collaboration with the IDSC and MicroRx is a win/win, facilitating the research efforts of the University and providing market access to potential diagnostic solutions," said Rodman Tompkins, business development associate for MicroRx.
The College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at Colorado State University is an international leader in infectious disease research. The College is among the world's leaders in researching West Nile virus, drug-resistant tuberculosis, yellow fever, dengue, hantavirus, plague, tularemia and other diseases. Infectious disease research programs receive roughly $40 million in annual research funding in such key areas as mycobacterial diseases, vector-borne diseases, prion diseases, food safety, plant pathology, and biodefense and emerging pathogens.
Infectious disease is a focus of MicroRx, a first-of-its-kind enterprise to speed the transition of life-saving research on infectious diseases from the academic world into the global marketplace. MicroRx, unveiled in February, is part of an alliance of academic researchers, economists and business experts that encourage collaboration and bridge the vastly different worlds of business and academia.
