OUR HISTORY
Manhattan BioSolutions, Inc. was founded in 2018 by Dr Borys Shor and Prof. Yossef Av-Gay at University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, with a core mission to unlock the natural ability of the human innate immune system to defend the body against the invading pathogens or cancer. The initial focus of Manhattan Bio was the development of synthetic live medicines specifically designed to target the unique mutations found in cancer cells, provoking a potent and tailored immune response against the tumors. Manhattan BioSolutions has achieved significant preclinical proof of concept data, providing compelling evidence of the efficacy and potential of this innovative approach. As the company evolved, it explored the potential of other remarkable protective mechanisms governing immune defense and homeostasis within the body, with the aim of developing novel therapeutics.
In 2018, our startup has won the prestigious Johnson & Johnson Innovation QuickFire Challenge Competition and the accompanying award, granting us free laboratory and office space at the newly opened JLabs@NYC incubator in downtown Manhattan. Our current R&D laboratory is located in Manhattan, New York, is designed for in-house pre-clinical discovery including protein or antibody high-throughout screening and functional in vitro cellular assays. We also partner with Gilman Biosciences headed Dr. Babic, to externalize preclinical assay development, leveraging his expertise and track record in translational drug discovery.
Establishing a track record of success, Manhattan BioSolutions has been awarded grants and awards from various prestigious organizations, including the New Jersey CSIT, the University at Buffalo Center for Advanced Technology in Big Data and Health Sciences, the National Science Foundation, the National Cancer Institute, and the New York State Center for Biotechnology at Stony Brook University, further bolstering our innovative research and development efforts
OUR SCIENCE
At Manhattan Bio, we are relentlessly learning how to attack fundamental vulnerabilities of cancer cells with natural defense tools employed by the human body to combat bacterial or viral infections: RNA-degrading enzymes and antibodies. Our science is built on pioneering discoveries of Dr Ronald T. Raines, whose groundbreaking research on ribonuclease protein structure and function has paved the way for world-recognized advancements in the field.
Dysregulation of RNA metabolic pathways in cancer is regarded as one of the hallmarks of cancer. Components of the RNA life cycle, including RNA transcription, ribosomal biogenesis or mRNA translation are frequently upregulated in tumors to sustain their abnormal growth and proliferation. We are developing a toolbox of RNA-specific nucleases to disrupt the oncogenic RNome both in tumors and in tumor microenvironment. Our pioneering approach has undergone rigorous validation in multiple preclinical tumor models, demonstrating both safety and efficacy.
The company is also leveraging monoclonal antibody-based formats to create unique mix-and-match biologics capable of distributing selected nuclease- or chemical payloads to disease sites within the human body. With a strong foundation in the work of our founders and advisors, we are at the forefront of engineering custom-designed proteins with tailored functionalities to create novel solutions with broad applications across the age-related diseases where RNA plays a role
PARTNERSHIPS
Manhattan BioSolutions, Inc. has built its foundation through collaborations with academic researchers, leading medical centers, and strategic partners, with a specific focus on advancing new classes of RNA-targeting biologic agents in areas of major unmet medical need. Manhattan Bio’ research efforts are augmented by scientific partnerships with the the National Cancer Institute (NCI), The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), The University of British Columbia, Stony Brook University, Binghamton University, University at Buffalo University, EVQLV and the INSERM. Through these collaborations, we aim to further explore and enhance the potential of targeted therapies to address orphan diseases and improve patient outcomes.
