SpyBiotech, an Oxford University spinout using “biochemical superglue,” that can facilitate the rapid development of robust and novel vaccines, has raised £4m at launch in seed financing to develop the technology.
The company gets its name from the bacterium Streptococcus pyogenes (Spy), the same organism behind a number of infections including strep throat and impetigo. The team behind SpyBiotech divided Spy into a peptide, SpyTag, and a protein partner, SpyCatcher. Naturally attracted to each other, the two form a covalent bond once combined.
SpyBiotech believes that this bond is the missing link to effective development and production of highly effective vaccines. The company will initially focus on virus-like particles (VLPs), a leading technology to induce immune responses by vaccination.
Read more (Oxford University Innovation website)