So the advertised position is to work on a joint project between Molecular Warehouse Ltd and IMB to develop next generation electrochemical biosensors for the use in Point-of-Care diagnostics. The collaboration is said to be based on a range of technologies which have been developed in the Alexandrov's lab and are now being commercialised by Molecular Warehouse Ltd.
Molecular Warehouse was founded last year. Prof Alexandrov is one of the directors; the other is Dr Siro Perez Alcala, founder and MD of English ‘business angel” firm, Roundcape.
Molecular Warehouse stated in an elevator pitch earlier this year that it has developed a ‘toolbox’ for building custom biosensors that can detect various biomarkers (protein, DNA, small molecules) with high specificity and sensitivity, at a fraction of time and cost of that of existing platforms. The platform can be customised for detection of novel biomarkers, while different sensors can be multiplexed on one chip.
PYC received ARC funding in July 2013 for a collaborative project with IMB entitled: "A microfluidic array of Phylomers for rapid discovery of peptide probes and biomarkers.”
To refresh what PYC said at the time
The ultimate goal of the collaboration is the construction of a universal specificity Phylomer chip. This low-cost consumable device will allow the identification of peptide probes that are specific for any target biomolecule, in a matter of minutes. This goal has not been achieved with existing approaches (eg. antibody arrays) on a single chip due to the intrinsic biases that are inherent with existing classes of biologics based on one structural family (eg. the antibody variable region). Even comprehensive arrays of antibodies, peptides of random amino acid composition, or protein scaffolds, cannot be used reliably to detect any biological antigen due to this issue of structural bias.
Labelled protein mixtures from abnormal versus corresponding normal clinical specimens could be used to probe a Phylomer chip to identify a disease-specific signature of biomarkers. Similarly, the technology could be applied to detect the emergence of a new signature corresponding to an illegal substance such as in the blood of athletes or to detect a characteristic biomarker profile of relatively common cancers, which are often diagnosed late, such as prostate or colon cancer.
Phylogica’s CEO Dr Paul Watt said: “We are delighted to be working with the IMB team at The University of Queensland because of their complementary expertise. Professor Kirill Alexandrov and Dr Yann Gambin are experts in the application of cutting edge microfluidics and fluorescence detection technologies, in combination with highthroughput and high-content protein characterisation. It is this technological synergy that led us to choose the IMB as our partner for the project. This world-class team has extensive experience of working with industry to achieve commercial objectives.”
Dr Gambin commented: “We are looking forward to working with Phylogica on this exciting opportunity to commercialise such a unique product. The diversity of the Phylomer platform offers powerful advantages for development of a universal peptide-based biosensor. The potential applications of this technology are vast in healthcare, industrial and agricultural markets.”
Professor Kirill Alexandrov said: “Phylogica is a highly innovative biotech company with substantial expertise in harnessing biodiversity for identification of bioactive peptides. By combining Phylogica’s platform with our novel technologies for recombinant peptide production and analysis, we aim to accelerate the development of novel diagnostic applications.”
So where does PYC now fit into Molecular Warehouse’s biosensor commercialisation plans?
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