News & Resources

Macromoltek Awarded Phase I SBIR Grant From The National Science Foundation

Research team to develop automated tools for antibody humanization

Aug. 18, 2015

                Macromoltek (www.macromoltek.com), an early stage biotech software company located in Austin, Texas, has been awarded a $150,000 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I grant by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop and test software to take antibodies developed in mice and make them feasible human therapeutics through antibody humanization.
Researchers often use mice and other small animals to search for antibody molecules that can act as therapeutics against cancer and autoimmune disease. These antibodies must then be altered to ensure they do not produce side effects in humans. This process is often tedious and can take researchers months to complete. Macromoltek aims to develop automated computer algorithms that will enable the process to be completed at the click of a button. “We are excited to receive this award from the NSF and are grateful for the chance to validate our software tools in collaboration with researchers at the University of Texas” said Dr. Berrondo.

About Macromoltek
Macromoltek helps biotech and pharmaceutical companies reduce the cost and time to market of new drugs by moving experiments to the cloud. We are focused on reducing the time, money and effort spent learning and using computational tools for drug development, especially in the area of protein molecular modeling. We offer an online workspace for antibody analysis and antibody modeling where users can store their data securely and access it at any time, from anywhere. Through our workspaces, users access state-of-the-art tools to manipulate their data and increase their understanding of the structures, leading to faster and cheaper biologics drugs. www.macromoltek.com

About the National Science Foundation’s Small Business Program
At the National Science Foundation (NSF), Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) is an approximately $180-million program that catalyzes the commercialization of high-risk technological innovations via R&D grants to small businesses and startups. Through SBIR/STTR, NSF seeks to transform scientific discovery into societal and economic benefit. NSF is an independent, $7-billion federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering.