This article is adapted from Burnet's 2023 Annual Report. Read the report here.
For many years, the Immune Therapies Group, led by Burnet’s internationally recognised immunologist Professor Mark Hogarth, has been investigating how antibodies, a natural product of the body’s immune system, can be harnessed to treat human disease.
That work has reached new heights with the invention of the Stellabody® platform, a breakthrough technology that prompts antibodies to form hexameric clusters around their targets, dramatically improving their potency.
In the laboratory, antibody therapeutics built with Stellabody® technology have proven to be up to 100 times more effective at destroying their targets than standard antibody therapeutics.
“Professor Hogarth’s group showed great vision in recognising the breadth of applications of their Stellabody® discovery”, explains Commercialisation, Innovation and Industry Partnerships (CIIP) Executive General Manager, Serina Cucuzza.
“It’s rare to have a technology that can be so widely applied. This expands not only the potential for impact across many possible diseases/conditions, but also the potential for commercial success—which is something exciting about this project.”
Burnet is now progressing validation of the platform in preclinical models and with patient samples.
Burnet has also been actively engaging with commercial antibody therapeutic developers around the globe to partner the patented technology to extend its use across a variety of diseases/conditions.
The first of these partnerships was announced in 2023, with Burnet entering into a Research Licence and Option Agreement with European biopharma company, argenx. This partnership will help accelerate the potential of Stellabody® to revolutionise treatments for people living with cancer, inflammation and infectious disease.
The agreement with argenx was the first significant outcome of a much longer and ongoing collaboration between CIIP and the Immune Therapies Working Group. While the scientists pursued their lab discovery, the CIIP team undertook a range of crucial tasks to support the commercial imperatives of the Stellabody® project including business development, program operational support, and intellectual property (IP) strategy development.
“Researchers develop these extraordinary ideas. They sow the seeds of what could be. Then it takes an army of people with expertise in industry, regulations, manufacturing, and supply lines to get those ideas to people in need.” —Serina Cucuzza, Executive General Manager, Commercialisation Innovation and Industry Partnerships
“Global licensing agreements for platform-based technologies can often take 18 months or more to finalise because they are highly complex,” Ms Cucuzza said.
“With the help of the right advisors, we were able to get this done within a year.”
At a very early stage, the CIIP team began reaching out to potential commercial partners, eliciting their feedback and reporting to the research team on details that would help make the platform industry-ready.
In addition, CIIP provided IP and strategic advice to shape the validation and development program, which supports the foundations of a strong IP position. The Stellabody® IP consists of four patent ‘families’.
“It does involve a bit of sacrifice from the research team because they have to be very focused on the commercial considerations, in order to bring their technology to patients and the community, rather than having unlimited freedom to explore science,” said Ms Cucuzza.
“It is a different way of working when you’re really committed to delivering a translational, patient, and community-focused output.”
Professor Hogarth, who is highly experienced in translational research and industry interaction, is an especially practised and empathetic collaborator for Ms Cucuzza and her team.
This expertise benefits researchers, and hence the CIIP team are prioritising the delivery of a range of activities to help build those skills in the Burnet workforce.
Philanthropic support for Stellabody®
The fundamental discovery science that underpinned the revolutionary Stellabody® platform was made possible by many philanthropic supporters, including the generosity of Pasquale ‘Pat’ LaManna OAM and Helen LaManna.
Pat and Helen began supporting the work of Professor Hogarth and his team in 2001. Over subsequent decades, their long-term commitment helped fund lab-based research into the roles played by immune cells, their receptors and their antibodies.
It was this work that ultimately led to the development of a biotherapeutic platform which stands to transform how cancer, inflammation and infectious diseases are treated around the world.
The Burnet community was deeply saddened by Pat’s passing in February 2023.
“Pat was a man of great compassion and extraordinary energy. We all benefitted, not only from Pat and Helen’s support, but also from their belief and encouragement in working towards our goals,” says Professor Hogarth.
Helen and the LaManna family have graciously committed to continuing to support Burnet Institute in the years ahead.
Pictured: Pasquale ‘Pat’ LaManna OAM and Helen LaManna
Stellabody® also received a much needed funding boost in 2023 through the estate of the late Mrs Phyllis Ann Schumann.
During her life, Phyllis was a member of the RAAF Nursing Service and had dedicated her life to serving her country and the health of others.
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