Business Notes: Feb. 21, 2016
Lebanon — Adimab LLC, the Lebanon-based biomedical firm that discovers and develops antibody-based pharmaceuticals has reported isolating “a broad panel of neutralizing anti-Ebola virus antibodies” from a survivor of the recent outbreak in Zaire.
The discovery, published online in the journal Science, “describes the first in-depth view into the human antibody response to Ebola virus,” Laura Walker, senior scientist at Adimab and an author of the study, said in a news release.
Institutions including The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif., and the Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases in Maryland analyzed the therapeutic potential of the newly isolated antibodies.
“Several of the antibodies provided by Dr. Walker’s team display the most potent neutralization and protection we have ever seen,” said Pamela Glass, senior investigator at the Army Medical Research Institute, which has analyzed more than 100 antibodies against the Ebola virus over the last decade.
“The antibody panel discovered by Adimab covers every previously known binding site on Ebola virus and their work further revealed a new, highly potent neutralizing site, that has not been reported to date,” said professor Andrew Ward of the Scripps Research Institute, a co-author of the study.
The work highlights the speed with which Adimab’s recently launched “single B cell isolation platform” performs, the company said.
“In less than two months the Adimab team isolated more neutralizing Ebola antibodies than the entire Ebola field has reported in the past two decades,” Tillman Gerngross, CEO and co-founder of Adimab and a professor of bioengineering at Dartmouth College, said in the release.
Gerngross said the global public health community has been looking for a rapid response platform to emerging infectious diseases. The Adimab study “has set an entirely new standard for rapidly isolating protective antibodies that could be turned into effective therapeutics,” Gerngross said. “We now have a broadly applicable platform to deal with these threats.”
The sequences of all antibodies isolated in the study will be made available to the research community through the GenBank database, the company said.
Adimab which over the past 61/2 years has established antibody discovery collaborations with more 35 pharmaceutical companies, including Merck, Novo Nordisk, Biogen, Novartis, Eli Lilly, Genentech, and others, separately noted that it has achieved similar results against the respiratory syncytial virus and intends to demonstrate the applicability of the B cell isolation platform against the Zika virus.
Company News
Chimney Savers Inc., of Randolph, has received its second consecutive Super Service Award from Angie’s List, the subscription-supported website that offers crowd-sourced reviews of local businesses. Award winners must meet eligibility requirements including an “A” rating in overall grade, the company said in a news release. Companies are graded on a scale from A through F on measures including price, professionalism and punctuality. In addition, the company must be in good standing with Angie’s List, pass a background check and abide by Angie’s List operational guidelines.
Upcoming Events
Milk Money Vermont and the Vermont Food Investor’s Network are co-hosting a free evening of presentations about investing local and supporting Vermont entrepreneurs on Tuesday, from 6-7:30 p.m., at the King Arthur Flour Cafe, 135 Route 5, Norwich. Milk Money Vermont is a third-party portal for equity crowdfunding, allowing Vermonters to invest in Vermont companies. The Vermont Food Investor’s Network works to create opportunities for local individuals, businesses and investors to invest in their communities and help build a more resilient and sustainable economy in the Vermont foodshed. Local food and a cash bar will be available. Reserve a spot at http://bit.ly/1VpG58S. For more information, visit http://www.facebook.com/SlowMoneyVermont.
The Pitch, a live competition, Shark Tank-style, will be held on Wednesday, from 7-9 p.m., in the Loew Auditorium at theBlack Family Visual Arts Center, 22 Lebanon St., Hanover. The free event will feature 20 selected Dartmouth College teams, each with two minutes each to give their best pitch about a new idea or business. Three winners will receive funding support from the Dartmouth Entrepreneurial Network and development support from the DALI Lab at Dartmouth College. Audience members choose their favorite for the People’s Choice award. Registre at https://ThePitchW16.eventbrite.com.
Upper Valley chapter of SCORE is offering a workshop, So You Want to Own Your Own Business, on Thursday, from 6-9 p.m., at 20 W. Park St., Lebanon, Suite 316, in the Citizens Bank Building. Based on material prepared by Entrepreneur Magazine, this workshop covers the basic elements that one must consider in starting a business, provides critical materials and offers a step-by-step process for developing a workable business plan, essential when bank or other third-party financing is being sought. The format is a combination of presentations and discussion. Cost is $40, two for $60. Veterans free. For more information or to reserve a spot, visit http://www.uppervalley.score.org, email score@valley.net or call 603-448-3491.
A free workshop, Leveraging LinkedIn for Your Business, will be held March 1, from 8-9:30a.m. at the Enterprise Center at Plymouth, One Bridge St., Plymouth, N.H. Plymouth State University professor Robert Nadeau will discuss how to set up a LinkedIn profile, including tips to grow a network while leveraging connections. Registration is required at http://bit.ly/1U8ywEX.
Items of interest to the local business community are published every Sunday. Submissions may be mailed to: Business Notes, c/o Sunday Valley News, P.O. Box 877, White River Junction, Vt. 05001. You may also send your items by fax to 603-298-0212, or by e-mail to biznotes@vnews.com. All items are subject to editing for clarity or space.
