Southern Biologics Network established to create biologics faster and less expensively

Published: 12-Dec-2014

Biopharmaceutical companies will be able to work with one organisation


Five biopharmaceutical research organisations with operations in Birmingham, Baton Rouge, Raleigh and Research Triangle Park in the US have formed a new public-private partnership called the Southern Biologics Network (SBN) with the aim of creating biologics faster and less expensively.

The organisations will work together to create advanced biologics for biopharmaceutical companies of all sizes. The new drugs will be used to create therapeutics, vaccines, diagnostics and drug targets to treat and prevent diseases and assist in drug discovery.

The five research organisations are:

  • Birmingham-based Southern Research Institute, which has created seven FDA-approved cancer drugs. Scientists there are developing treatments in multiple disease areas including oncology, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, diabetes and infectious diseases;
  • Pennington Biomedical Research Center at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge is at the forefront of medical discovery on understanding and combating obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, dementia, and other chronic diseases;
  • The Center for Structural Biology at the University of Alabama (UAB) at Birmingham is a leading structural biology research centre providing scientists with biophysical and structural information on protein and protein/drug complexes;
  • ProteoVec's scientists in Baton Rouge, Raleigh and RTP develop and scale biologics production processes earlier in development, and more cost-effectively, than previously possible;
  • Soluble Therapeutics in Birmingham can determine optimised formulations that maximise solubility and stability for protein-based therapeutics in less than 60 days.

SBN claims to be the first organisation in the Southeastern US to provide comprehensive biologic development services. It says pharmaceutical companies will be able to save time and money because they will be able to select one organisation instead of trying to coordinate the work of several biopharmaceutical research firms for the manufacture, discovery, preclinical development, and early-stage clinical development of biologics.

'More affordable production and more mature early-stage process development will lead to a greater number of breakthroughs making it to market,' said ProteoVec CEO Michael Crapanzano. 'Not only does that save time; it saves money, too.'

This is a significant point of difference, considering the business risks and costs of drug development. According to the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, it can take up to 15 years to create an FDA-approved drug. Research and development costs can exceed US$1bn, and only 20% of marketed drugs break even or turn a profit. But since 1980, 83% of life expectancy gains for cancer patients can be attributed to new treatments. The HIV/AIDS death rate has dropped more than 80% since the use of antiretroviral treatments in 1995.

SBN combines some of the brightest minds in biologics

'SBN combines some of the brightest minds in biologics, helps reduce the risk that pharmaceutical companies take at the earliest stages of biologics discovery and development, and allows our five entities to work together more efficiently with clients to do what we all do best – create biological therapeutics for our customers that will dramatically improve patients' lives,' said Art Tipton, President and CEO of Southern Research Institute.

'We are excited to be part of this network, since we have many of the components necessary to quickly advance high value drug targets using our expertise in protein characterisation, target validation, and the ability to optimise preclinical candidates for clients,' added Larry DeLucas, Director of the Center for Structural Biology at UAB.

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