Company Profile:
Orbis Biosciences
Orbis Biosciences provides controlled-release drug delivery technology to create revolutionary products. Using its Precision Particle Fabrication technology, Orbis leverages particle engineering to make products safer and more-convenient. Orbis supports R&D for multiple pharmaceutical and biotech companies by integrating this novel technology into their products and develops products in the oral and injectable pharmaceutical markets. In the $20BN controlled release pharmaceuticals market, Orbis’s technology offers an efficient path to create novel products and reformulate current products. This is the only technology on the market with the capability to scalably produce monodisperse microparticles in a size range that matters to oral and injectable drugs. Through product uniformity and precision engineering, Orbis achieves tighter control of delivery rates. In contrast to other currently available particle fabrication technologies, Orbis’s robust, scalable, and highly-adaptable technology offers unprecedented levels of control over the final product. Orbis works with clients to integrate the technology into their products and collects milestone payments and licensing royalties. Orbis is developing twelve products internally and with leading pharmaceutical companies seeking delivery solutions for difficult-to-formulate products. The technology has been published over 13 times in top journals.
Q: Please tell us how your business idea was conceived. Was there an "aha" moment or did it evolve gradually?
A: Orbis Biosciences was formed in an “aha” moment 10 years in the making.
Founders Cory Berkland and Bo Fishback joined forces to create the
company based on Cory’s PhD research at the University of Illinois,
Urbana-Champaign, where he co-invented and developed Precision Particle
Fabrication technology. Exploring the different technologies in Cory’s
lab, Bo was intrigued by this particular technology that Cory had
embarked on nearly a decade earlier, and it became the seed for Orbis.
Bridging technology from academic origins into large pharma takes the
right approach and mindset, and Cory has done it three times. Sometimes,
as in our case, it takes the right moment – “the aha” – for promising
technology to come to life.
Q: What's the most inventive, innovative, or disruptive aspect of your initiative?
A: Our tagline is "Precision Makes Possible" because our technology allows
you to create new patient-friendly drugs that have the potential to
improve patient quality of life. As anyone suffering from diabetes
knows, some drugs, like insulin, can only be delivered through
injections. Because our technology can precisely control drug release
for extended periods of time, we can make new versions of injectable
drugs that deliver the right amount of drug for an entire week after a
single injection, rather than requiring a needle every day.
Many vaccines require booster shots. What if you could get both doses in the first shot and not have to go back to the doctor for the second shot? This technology can be a game-changer for people in the developing world where access to healthcare professionals is very limited. It is also useful for vaccinating livestock, which has important implications for protecting our food supply.
Many vaccines require booster shots. What if you could get both doses in the first shot and not have to go back to the doctor for the second shot? This technology can be a game-changer for people in the developing world where access to healthcare professionals is very limited. It is also useful for vaccinating livestock, which has important implications for protecting our food supply.
Q: How will it help people live to their greatest potential or contribute to making the world healthier?
A: Our technology is a cost-effective solution to compliance problems by
making pharmaceutical products longer-lasting, requiring fewer doses;
easier to use, solving taste problems and dosing hassles; and safer,
through the control of the initial drug burst associated with many
products.
Q: Five years from now, what would you like to be able to say has been your most important contribution to health?
A: While our goal is to leverage our technology to improve many lives, our
most important contribution would be to enable affordable products for
underserved populations, such as children and individuals in developing
countries.
New dosage forms are needed for the pediatric population to create both palatable and titratable pharmaceuticals, rather than manipulating available adult-approved products (such as by crushing a tablet). We have developed a free-flowing, drug-loaded, microcapsule-based powder that will taste-mask bitter pharmaceutical actives, allow for complete dissolution in the gastrointestinal tract, and provide formats that are easy to titrate.
Given the cost-effective nature of our technology, advancements in pharmaceuticals for developing countries are possible, including long-acting contraceptives. Access to healthcare professionals in sub-Saharan Africa is a challenge for women who often discontinue usage because of missed follow-up appointments. To address this compliance issue, we are working with experts in this area and are developing 6-month and 18-month products.
New dosage forms are needed for the pediatric population to create both palatable and titratable pharmaceuticals, rather than manipulating available adult-approved products (such as by crushing a tablet). We have developed a free-flowing, drug-loaded, microcapsule-based powder that will taste-mask bitter pharmaceutical actives, allow for complete dissolution in the gastrointestinal tract, and provide formats that are easy to titrate.
Given the cost-effective nature of our technology, advancements in pharmaceuticals for developing countries are possible, including long-acting contraceptives. Access to healthcare professionals in sub-Saharan Africa is a challenge for women who often discontinue usage because of missed follow-up appointments. To address this compliance issue, we are working with experts in this area and are developing 6-month and 18-month products.
Q: What single word or phrase best describes the culture of your startup and why?
A: Structured autonomy to foster open innovation with business rigor.