{"690488":{"#nid":"690488","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Program Backs Pioneering Antibody Research with Global Reach","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA new grant from the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/gra.org\/\u0022\u003EGeorgia Research Alliance\u003C\/a\u003E (GRA) is backing an ambitious effort by Georgia Tech scientists to accelerate the development of human antibody therapies \u2014 a class of medicines that has transformed treatment across cancer, autoimmune disease, and infectious illness, yet it cannot be generated against many disease targets.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe $250,000 funding award, made through GRA\u2019s Innovation and Entrepreneurship (I\u0026amp;E) program, supports the translational work of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/people.research.gatech.edu\/ankur-singh\u0022\u003EAnkur Singh\u003C\/a\u003E, Professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.me.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EGeorge W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E and the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/bme.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EWallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E, and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/people.research.gatech.edu\/andres-j-garcia\u0022\u003EAndr\u00e9s Garc\u00eda\u003C\/a\u003E, Regents\u2019 Professor in Mechanical Engineering and the Executive Director of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/bioresearch.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EParker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/a\u003E. Singh and Garc\u00eda are collaborating to develop functional human antibodies against some of the most difficult-to-treat diseases. While antibody therapies already benefit an estimated 20 million patients worldwide, fewer than 10 percent of discovery efforts ultimately yield candidates suitable for clinical use.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis shortfall spans major disease areas \u2014 from oncology and autoimmune disorders to heart and metabolism-related conditions and neurological and infectious diseases \u2014 limiting therapeutic options for patients. The challenge lies not only in identifying candidate antibodies, but in engineering them to function reliably in the human body.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe I\u0026amp;E program exists to bridge the gap between a discovery that works in the lab and one that can anchor a company,\u201d said Justin Burns, Chief Innovation Officer and Vice President for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at GRA. \u201cSingh and Garc\u00eda are tackling a problem the field has faced for decades: A significant fraction of drug targets remains inaccessible to antibody-based therapies. Our goal is to help move bold, high-potential science toward real-world impact.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGRA\u2019s model targets a well-known bottleneck in translation. While university labs generate promising technologies, many stall before reaching the marketplace due to a lack of validation and early-stage development.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESingh and Garc\u00eda aim to overcome this barrier by using a proprietary antibody-engineering framework developed in Singh\u2019s laboratory, and supported by an earlier GRA grant. The objective is straightforward: Increase the success rate of discovery efforts so more antibody candidates can advance toward clinical use.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe implications extend well beyond our laboratory,\u201d said Singh. \u201cBy expanding the pipeline of functional human antibodies, we can begin to address diseases that currently lack durable treatment options. GRA\u2019s support is transformative \u2014 not only for advancing the science, but for positioning Georgia as a leader in biotechnology innovation.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe project is built with real-world use in mind, aiming to turn the research into a new company and eventually a clinical product. By testing the idea early and lowering risk, the team hopes to attract investment and move the technology quickly beyond the Institute.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGarc\u00eda emphasized the translational vision of the work.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis is a transformative platform technology that overcomes major bottlenecks in antibody discovery and will accelerate and increase the efficiency of this powerful class of therapeutics,\u201d he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis effort is about rethinking how we design antibodies from the ground up \u2014 integrating biological insight with engineering principles to produce molecules that are not just viable, but clinically meaningful,\u201d he said. \u201cWith GRA\u2019s support, we can de-risk early discovery and create a clearer path from promising concepts to therapies that reach patients.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;Tracey Mullen, a seasoned biopharma executive, entrepreneur, and antibody discovery and engineering leader currently serving as Chief Strategy Officer at Mosaic Biosciences, is advising the team on translational strategy, commercial development, and company formation.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe ability to rapidly generate functional human antibodies in physiologically relevant systems could meaningfully change how therapeutic discovery is approached,\u201d Mullen said. \u201cBy moving beyond largely empirical, animal- or screening-heavy workflows and incorporating human-specific, mechanism-informed evaluation earlier in the process, this platform has the potential to generate more relevant antibody candidates and create a stronger path from discovery concept to translational development.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs global demand for advanced therapeutics grows, efforts like this reflect a broader shift in how innovation moves from bench to bedside \u2014 one driven not only by scientific ingenuity, but by targeted investment at critical early stages.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAntibody therapy is a class of medicines that has transformed treatment across cancer, autoimmune disease, and infectious illness, yet it cannot be generated against many disease targets. The $250,000 funding award, made through GRA\u2019s Innovation and Entrepreneurship (I\u0026amp;E) program, will help two Georgia Tech researchers develop functional human antibodies against some of the most difficult-to-treat diseases.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A new grant from the Georgia Research Alliance (GRA) is backing an ambitious effort by Georgia Tech scientists to accelerate the development of human antibody therapies "}],"uid":"36479","created_gmt":"2026-05-27 12:28:35","changed_gmt":"2026-05-27 14:06:25","author":"abowman41","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-05-27T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-05-27T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"680359":{"id":"680359","type":"image","title":"_0000_Singh_GRA.jpg","body":null,"created":"1779890722","gmt_created":"2026-05-27 14:05:22","changed":"1779890722","gmt_changed":"2026-05-27 14:05:22","alt":"A man sits in a lab in front of a fume hood and uses tweezers to hold a plastic chip out toward the camera.","file":{"fid":"264616","name":"_0000_Singh_GRA.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/05\/27\/_0000_Singh_GRA.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/05\/27\/_0000_Singh_GRA.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":130894,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/05\/27\/_0000_Singh_GRA.jpg?itok=Cdmy-61A"}}},"media_ids":["680359"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"188776","name":"go-research"},{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"},{"id":"187423","name":"go-bio"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAshlie Bowman | Communications Manager\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EParker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}