The funding is set to enhance the company’s C1 protein production platform to enable rapid, cost-effective production of mAbs.
This initiative focuses on diseases like RSV and malaria, which disproportionately impact low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), with the goal of delivering affordable therapeutic solutions.
The high cost of mAbs has traditionally kept them out of reach for many vulnerable populations, but innovations in manufacturing can help make them affordable and accessible in LMICs.
The C1-cell protein production platform utilises an established microorganism and aims to expedite development, lower production costs, and enhance the scalability of biological therapeutics and vaccines.
It is currently being used in collaborations across biotech, pharmaceutical, government, and academic organisations for the development of new treatments.
The company noted that it plans to commercialise the antibodies through licensure when it achieves its research success.
Dyadic International CEO and founder Mark Emalfarb said: “Thanks to this new grant from the Gates Foundation, we are advancing our C1 platform to develop affordable therapeutics, addressing RSV, malaria, and promoting global health equity.
“We believe C1’s increased efficiency and cost-effectiveness can expand access to therapeutics and vaccines for populations impacted by health disparities.”
RSV, characterised by lower respiratory tract infections in paediatric patients, results in millions of hospitalisations and over 100,000 deaths every year.
Additionally, Dyadic has developed the Dapibus filamentous fungal-based microbial protein production platform, which facilitates the speedy development and manufacture of less expensive proteins and other biologics for non-pharmaceutical applications.