DiscoveryBioMed Is Awarded A New 3-Year Lab To Marketplace SBIR Grant To Establish Human Normal And Diseased Kidney Cell Platforms For Academia And Industry

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DiscoveryBioMed, Inc. (DBM) was awarded recently a new 3-year Lab to Marketplace SBIR grant to fund the establishment of novel diseased and normal kidney (renal) cell platforms to meet an unmet need in this niche research community for both academia and industry. The award comes from the Office of the Director at the National Institutes of Health. “DBM is humbled and grateful for the award, which is funded over a 3-year period with over $1.2 million and where funding each year is contingent on milestone and aim achievement,” explained DBM’s Dr. Erik Schwiebert.

“So, we are sharing experiences and establishing best practices. His laboratory will also perform some bioassays comparing immortal to primary cells that DBM is not equipped to perform. Darren and I have collaborated for decades.”

The disease in focus is polycystic kidney disease (PKD) and, in particular, the more common autosomal dominant genetic form of PKD (ADPKD). DBM is seeking to establish single cyst-derived primary cultures from each diseased kidney, among other types of cultures. DBM is also establishing primary human cell cultures from normal kidneys and its specific regions and nephron segments. These tissue samples would otherwise be discarded. DBM will select cultures based on their genotype with regard to the genes affected in ADPKD, ideal growth properties in 3D and 2D culture, and other metrics. DBM will then seek to immortalize them for expansion for larger initiatives such as therapeutics discovery. Various platforms, products and services are already emerging from this effort in DBM laboratories and that will enter the marketplace for academia and industry quickly. For example, DBM has a novel method and media for establishing 3D cultures of ADPKD and normal kidney cells. Stem cell biology is not part of this effort. Please visit our newly redesigned website, www.discoverybiomed.com, for frequent updates, news items, and blog posts on these efforts and methodology.

As with many of DBM’s R&D initiatives, the company is collaborating with academic experts. Dr. Peter Harris, Director of a PKD Genotyping Core within the Mayo Clinic PKD Center funded by a P30 grant from the NIDDK, and Dr. Darren Wallace, a pioneer and world authority in the establishment of primary human cell cultures from both ADPKD and normal kidneys, are involved in this program. Dr. Wallace operates Cores within the Kansas University Medical Center funded by a separate P30 grant from the NIDDK and another funded by the PKD Research Foundation. These collaborations are essential to the program, and an excellent example of how the biotechnology industry and academia can collaborate. “Dr. Wallace’s laboratory has established these cultures for decades but his laboratory approaches these methods differently than we do,” explained DBM’s Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Schwiebert. “So, we are sharing experiences and establishing best practices. His laboratory will also perform some bioassays comparing immortal to primary cells that DBM is not equipped to perform. Darren and I have collaborated for decades.” Dr. Schwiebert also explained that “Dr. Harris’ laboratory is interested in genotyping single cyst-derived cultures, because there is a hypothesis that a second somatic mutation or ‘hit’ may occur in single cysts that worsen the disease in addition to the germline mutation that afflicts a family or kindred. Genotyping each cyst-derived cell culture can answer this hypothesis. We have observed one such example to date but it is early days.” The genotyping laboratory at the Mayo Clinic will also sequence the genome of normal human kidney cell cultures because Dr. Harris is also interested in the types of and frequency of polymorphisms (changes in gene sequence that may not cause disease) in the normal population. This effort gauges the susceptibility of the two ADPKD disease genes to mutation.

This program is another example of DBM’s novel approaches to “humanize” our niche in the life sciences and biotechnology industry through innovative Human Cell Culture and Engineering, Human Cell-based Bioassay Development and Implementation, and Humanized Drug Discovery, Drug Development and Lead Therapeutic Asset Profiling. Please see our newly redesigned DBM website, www.discoverybiomed.com, for more information about the company, its scientific strategies and methods, and its products and services offerings.