Domantis
Based: Waltham, MA and Cambridge, U.K. Why It's Fierce: A love for the game helps, and Domantis CEO Robert Connelly clearly loves a start-up. He first got the bug when Abbott assigned him to integrate a new acquisition into the "Abbott beast." He's been able to give free rein to his entrepreneurial side at Domantis, where he was brought in to get the brainchild of two prominent U.K. scientists--Gregory Winter and Ian Tomlinson--up and running. Winter was one of the early pioneers of antibody engineering and was a co-founder of Cambridge Antibody Technology. Tomlinson was deputy director of the Medical Research Council's Centre for Protein Engineering in Cambridge and is now Domantis' chief scientific officer in the U.K.-based lab. Connelly focuses on the business side of the operations in Waltham. Within the first two years of launching, Domantis had a dozen programs up and running for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, colorectal cancer and more . At the heart of its work lies human domain antibodies, or dAbs. One of their dAbs can neutralize cytokine receptor targets. Others have dual targeting characteristics, with one molecule binding to two therapeutic targets. One of the reasons why dAbs are so attractive as a therapeutic, says Connelly, is that they are very stable and soluble, suitable for being administered either orally or as an injectable. "It's always been about dAbs," says Connelly. "Dual targeting is one of the really unique things you can do with dabs." Domantis has inked therapeutic partnerships with Argenta Discovery, Tanox and Peptech. But it was the deal with Bristol-Myers Squibb late last year that helped focus new attention on the development group. The two companies signed a pact to develop a range of dAbs for T-cell co-stimulation, which is part of the human immune response. Domantis pocketed more than $9 million up front and stands to gain up to $20 million in milestones for each new product developed. Near the end of last year, Domantis announced a new round of $29 million in venture funds, with a chunk of the money coming from Novo Nordisk. The company has raised $83 million in venture capital so far. What to look for: Domantis plans to ramp up two to three new INDs a year, starting next year. After that, says Connelly, the company has to decide whether it advances new programs past proof-of-concept on its own or licenses them out. But expect a licensing deal for Domantis' asthma program in a matter of months. |
