Published September 29, 2020
UB’s Center for Protein Therapeutics has awarded $1.2 million to researchers to advance development of next-generation protein-based drugs that treat COVID-19, cancer and other illnesses.
The Center for Protein Therapeutics conducts research and provides structured training programs for UB faculty studying protein-based drugs.
Twelve projects were each awarded $100,000 in funding. Faculty in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences to receive funding include Joseph Balthasar, professor; Sathy Balu-Iyer, professor; Jun Qu, professor; Dhaval Shah, associate professor; Robert Straubinger, professor; and Sukyung Woo, associate professor.
“Several projects were funded that attempt to characterize and improve antibody distribution in tumors, and to develop novel nanobodies to block infection with SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19,” says Balthasar, director of the Center for Protein Therapeutics and executive director of university research initiatives in the Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development.
The Center for Protein Therapeutics is based in the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and the New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences. It is funded through a consortium that includes 10 leading pharmaceutical companies.
Since its inception in 2008, the center has funded more than 140 seed projects totaling more than $13 million.
