New Venture Puts TTUHSC in the Mix With Biotech Industry

A technology partnership between the Development Corporation of Abilene (DCOA) and the Center for Immunotherapeutic Development at TTUHSC has resulted in a new concept for business-driven academic commercialization.

The face of the new commercialization venture is ExperImmune, an immunology centric corporate entity formed to provide third-party validation services, product development and due diligence to support technologies like those found at TTUHSC and other academic-based institutions.

The company also provides services to small and large biotechnology companies, major pharmaceutical companies and investment groups, said Jon Weidanz, Ph.D., ExperImmune’s chief scientist and founding director. Weidanz is also professor and chair for the Department of Immunotherapeutics and Biotechnology at the School of Pharmacy in Abilene.

“We provide the transition between research and development,” Weidanz said. “This is an exciting opportunity for ExperImmune to be a research and development partner to address the immunology and related needs of academia and the biotech industry.”

Through its 24,000-square-foot space inside Abilene Laboratories, ExperImmune has access to state-of-the-art instrumentation and clean room facilities to perform immune-based assay design and biopharmaceutical development and production for pre-clinical validation. In addition to immunodiagnostic and immunotherapeutic development, ExperImmune offers pre-clinical in-vitro and in-vivo efficacy models for oncology, pharmacokinetic and immunogenicity studies.

ExperImmune’s research and development team members come from diverse backgrounds and fields of expertise. Though their focus lies within the immunology field, team scientists have extensive experience in cancer biology, infectious disease, molecular and cellular immunology, proteomics and biomaterial science.

In addition to their contract services, Weidanz said ExperImmune is preparing to launch a product line of monoclonal antibodies for research purposes across a range of disciplines, including cancer, autoimmunity and infectious disease. The company is also developing a propriety method to allow detection of antigen-specific T cells and B cells from mouse and human samples.

Weidanz said partnerships with the DCOA and TTUHSC allow ExperImmune to operate with low overhead and gives the company the flexibility to offer services at a relatively low cost, maximize research dollars and provide customers with a personalized approach.