ProImmune, Ltd., a global leader in immunological reagents and services, today announced a partnership with the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) Galveston National Laboratory (GNL), a highly contained infectious disease research facility, to develop innovative tools to study high-severity emerging and endemic infectious diseases. Under the agreement, ProImmune’s Ankyrons will be evaluated as a molecular tool that enables precise detection, localization, and functional interrogation of viral proteins across complex experimental systems compatible with high-containment studies.
The collaboration combines ProImmune’s Ankyron® target binding reagent technology with GNL’s expertise in the immunopathology of emerging viruses. The research will be conducted in Dr. Courtney Woolsey’s laboratory, which specializes in studying emerging and endemic viral pathogens under maximum containment conditions (BSL-4), to investigate viral protein function, immune dysregulation, and tissue-specific responses to inform next-generation vaccines and therapeutics. The research team will initially focus on validating Ankylon specific for viral proteins from pathogens of major global health concern, including Bundibugyo virus, Zaire ebola virus, Sudan ebola virus, Reston ebola virus, human enterovirus 71, and MPOX virus.
Ankyrons are a new class of small (approximately 15 kDa) single-domain binding reagents based on engineered ankyrin repeat scaffolds that enable high affinity and specificity for a variety of protein targets. fully generated in vitroA high-throughput selection process allows Ankylon to be rapidly identified, optimized, and generated without the need for animal immunization, making it ideal for time-sensitive infectious disease research. Ankylon is already available for 60 pathogens and disease vectors and can be rapidly developed for new disease targets.
Ankyrons and our powerful, automated, high-throughput, parallel detection platform are particularly suited for demanding research environments such as emerging infectious diseases, allowing for the detection and interrogation of viral proteins and the study of multiple rapidly emerging infectious diseases simultaneously. By collaborating with GNL’s Woolsey lab, we will be able to validate these Ankyron reagents in biologically relevant systems and enhance pandemic preparedness. ”
Nikolai Schwabe, Chief Executive Officer, ProImmune, Ltd.
