POP BIOTECHNOLOGIES, INC.
POP Biotechnologies develops revolutionary therapies that expand treatment possibilities in cancer care and infectious disease prevention. The UB spinoff was established with the mission of using innovative platforms to create solutions that fill critical gaps in the medical interventions that are currently available. The company is also developing vaccines for SARS-CoV-2 and cancer, and also have an innovative nanoparticle drug delivery system for cancer chemotherapy.
CHALLENGE & OPPORTUNITY
Infectious diseases, cancer, and a whole host of common but catastrophic diseases have major health and economic impacts on communities around the world. Despite major medical advances in therapeutic intervention, many still lack fail-safe treatments or cures. Vaccines, that improve immunity to a particular disease, have become a vital part of preventing the suffering and death associated with infectious diseases and have the potential to mitigate the effects of non-communicable diseases such as cancer as well.
SOLUTION & OUTCOME
Two discoveries born out of UB laboratories are the basis behind POP BIO’s groundbreaking therapies. The startup’s vaccine delivery platform — a liposome-based vaccine adjuvant licensed from UB — helps make existing vaccines more powerful and long lasting, and broadens the possibilities of creating preventative treatments for life-threatening diseases that currently have no vaccine such as HIV and Alzheimer's.
The company has also developed a cancer therapy innovation designed to address solid tumors that are resistant to current standards of care. POP BIO’s innovative chemotherapy drug delivery system uses light to target and kill cancer cells while limiting harm to surrounding tissues.
UB SUPPORT
UB’s tech transfer program helped POP BIO patent and license the UB technology behind the company’s vaccine delivery platform. As the company blossomed, UB startup programs provided POP BIO with tools to assess commercial viability, office space in UB incubators and funding for research.
POP BIO has worked with a domestic pharmaceutical chemical manufacturer and attracted investment attention. Through UB-facilitated connections, the startup has also inked research agreements with international pharmaceutical companies including EuBiologics, which is partnering with POP BIO to develop a COVID-19 vaccine that features easier distribution and storage requirements and improved immune response.