AdvantiGen Biosciences Partners with UW’s Andes Lab to Develop Antibodies for Fight Against COVID-19 

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MADISON, WI, May 20, 2020 – A Madison-based collaboration has joined the fight to develop antibodies to combat COVID-19.  Scientists at AdvantiGen Biosciences (Madison WI) and Dr. David Andes’ laboratory at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are teaming up to develop novel monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19. The AdvantiGen – Andes Lab collaboration recently received one of only ten research COVID-19 Response grants from the Wisconsin Partnership Program at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health to lessen the impact of COVID-19 through development of improved testing and treatment against the virus.  The AdvantiGen team brings more than 100 years of combined experience in antibody and assay development to aid in the fight against COVID-19.  AdvantiGen will use its patented technology to create highly specific antibodies to the virus. “AdvantiGen’s antibodies could be manufactured on a large scale to replace convalescent plasma, currently the only available and approved therapy - using recovered patient plasma, which is very limited in supply”, explains AdvantiGen CEO, Mark Jackson.  AdvantiGen’s antibodies can also be used as a research tool to learn more about the virus and detect viral particles in samples such as surface swabs and patient samples. “If AdvantiGen’s monoclonal antibodies are proven effective at treating COVID-19 in animals in my lab at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, we anticipate these mAbs can be rapidly humanized and fast-tracked to clinical trials for use as therapies via the FDA's Emergency Use Authorization,” said Dr. David Andes, Chief of the Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  “Reopening our country is dependent upon reliable antibody testing. AdvantiGen’s patented antibody generation method yields up to 10-fold more specific clones to SARS-CoV-2 (vs. standard antibody development), when combined with our patented near-infrared imaging technology (WiPhy), it will improve the sensitivity of COVID-19 detection.”

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