MilliporeSigma, the U.S. and Canada Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, announced that Proteologix US Inc. has been selected as the North American winner of its 12th Advance Biotech Grant program. The biotechnology start-up, which is headquartered in Redwood City, CA, was selected for its robust pipeline targeting autoimmune/inflammatory diseases and oncology indications that affect a large patient population.

As part of the award, Proteologix will receive in-kind products and services in cell line development, downstream processing, final formulation, and ultrafiltration (UF) to develop treatments for autoimmune/inflammatory diseases and oncology indications.

In addition, Proteologix will receive consultation services and training by technical experts from the Emprove team and M Lab Collaboration Center.

“Emerging biopharma companies play a vital role in advancing medical breakthroughs, representing around 80% of the total development pipeline1. However, bringing life-saving treatments to market can be challenging, with preclinical stages taking up to six years and costing millions,” said Darren Verlenden, head of process solutions, life science business sector of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. “Our Advance Biotech Grant program provides emerging biotech companies with the expertise and resources they need to overcome the challenges of technical decision-making and regulatory hurdles on the path to commercialization.”