Trudeau Institute and Ampersand Biosciences Receive $1 Million to Further Test Critical Research Tools
Pictured are Dr. Tori Race, Quality Assurance Manager and Senior Scientist, Ampersand Biosciences; Dr. Deborah Brown, Trudeau Principal Investigator; Dr. Laurie Stephen, President and CSO of Ampersand Biosciences.
Saranac Lake, NY – Ampersand Biosciences and Trudeau Institute have been awarded a $1,084,824 Phase II Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). For more than 60 years, NIAID research has led to new therapies, vaccines, diagnostic tests, and other technologies that have improved the health of millions of people in the United States and around the world.
The two-year project, titled “Further Characterization and Validation of Monoclonal Antibodies to Study Respiratory Infections in the Ferret,” builds on a history of successful collaborations between Trudeau Institute and Ampersand Biosciences. The organizations have previously received two Phase I SBIR awards to generate reagents for studying infectious diseases. Their earlier projects, including a $596,519 grant in 2020, led to the development of 14 different reagents to detect infection-induced biomarkers in experimental animals, supporting research on diseases like influenza and COVID-19.
At the time, Trudeau and Ampersand produced a number of monoclonal antibodies for test kits which are currently marketed by Ampersand Biosciences. These kits can test for biomarkers during influenza A virus infection in animal models that more closely mimic the disease in humans. Under the new contract, Ampersand Biosciences and Trudeau Institute will further test a subset of these reagents in new assays that can detect both the type of immune cell in the lung, as well as that cells’ function. This project aims to accelerate the understanding of how vaccines and therapeutics can combat respiratory infections by providing tools to predict human responses more accurately.
"This innovative work will further validate our panel of reagents and provide valuable experimental results to researchers as they continue to investigate the impact of influenza A and other respiratory viruses in preclinical models of disease," said Dr. Deb Brown, principal investigator at Trudeau Institute. "Our suite of reagents will help investigators test novel vaccines and therapeutics that may provide universal protection against influenza, a viral disease that still causes close to 500,000 deaths worldwide.”
Dr. Tori Race, project principal investigator at Ampersand Biosciences, highlighted the potential impact of the work. “We’re excited to use this grant to expand our catalog of products to reach more scientists interested in using these models to study the immune response to respiratory infections. Any additional minds we have working on the development of vaccines and therapeutics in this important area, the better.”
Dr. Laurie Stephen, president of Ampersand Biosciences expressed thanks to the NIH. “We are grateful to the NIH/NIAID for their continued support of our small business, which allows us to continue our work with Dr. Brown and the Trudeau Insitute.”
As this latest Phase II project progresses, the researchers aim to further characterize these immunological reagents in preclinical models of influenza infection, offering invaluable tools to the global infectious disease research community.
About the Trudeau Institute:
Trudeau Institute is a research organization based in Saranac Lake, NY, focused on advancing scientific knowledge in infectious diseases, including influenza, tuberculosis, and COVID-19.
About Ampersand Biosciences:
Ampersand Biosciences, headquartered in Lake Clear, NY, specializes in the development of reagents for immunology researchers, supporting the study of host-pathogen interactions and vaccine development.
Media Contact:
Elisabeth Cain
Director of Institute Advancement
518-891-3080 x561
ecain@trudeauinstitute.org