Four scientists at the Medical College of Wisconsin have established a new spinoff company called Protein Foundry to manufacture and market protein molecules.
Protein Foundry makes chemokines, molecules that guide cell migration. It manufactures more than 12 “wild-type” chemokines and custom variants ordered by scientists for their research. The MCW team that founded the company has spent the past 10 years creating special molecular tools used for the manufacturing process.
The founders are: Brian Volkman, Ph.D., president of Protein Foundry and professor of biochemistry at MCW; Chad Koplinski, vice president of production; Michael Dwinell, Ph.D., vice president of Protein Foundry and associate professor of microbiology and molecular genetics at MCW; and Francis Peterson, Ph.D., vice president of Protein Foundry and associate professor of biochemistry at MCW.
“Beyond basic research, there is great potential in chemokines to act as targeted therapeutic agents in certain cancers, and perhaps in other human disease,” Volkman said. “We offer scientifically validated processes to meet the growing demand for pure, biologically active proteins for both basic science and translational research.”
The company will host a grand opening Thursday at MCW.
