14 Mar Wisconsin biotech firm receives $107K NIH grant
Fitchburg, Wis. – Semba Biosciences, a life science company based in Fitchburg, has been awarded a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant of $107,000 by the National Institutes of Health.
The peer-reviewed grant will be used to build and test a new instrument for purifying proteins used in medical research and pharmaceutical development.
Robert Mierendorf, president and CEO of Semba Biosciences, said improvements in purification technology are needed to help researchers determine the structure and function of enzymes and other proteins that play key roles in diseases such as cancer and diabetes.
He also said new purification methods are needed to increase the safety and lower the cost of new protein pharmaceuticals, including antibodies.
Semba Biosciences, located in the New Venture Center on the Fitchburg Technology Campus, began operations in 2005. It is a portfolio company of Kegonsa Capital Partners.
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