FAST FACTS
FOUNDER(S):
Dr. Yoshihiro Kawaoka
Dr. Gabriele Neumann
INNOVATION(S):
Biotechnology/Pharmaceuticals
Vaccines
EMPLOYEES:
8
HEADQUARTERS:
Madison, WI
FOUNDED:
2007
TSC MEMBER INSTITUTION(S):
University of Wisconsin-Madison
FUNDING AGENCY(S):
National Institutes of Health
STATUS:
Private
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FLUGEN, INC.
ABOUT THE COMPANY:
The method for making influenza vaccines hasn’t changed much since it was first created in the 1930s: A team of experts decides which viruses to target. Then chicken eggs are injected with the viruses and grown to create the vaccine. However, avian flu expert Dr. Yoshihiro Kawaoka and Dr. Gabriele Neumann at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have pioneered a new method, producing vaccine within cells (rather than embryonic chicken eggs), which will dramatically increase the speed and reduce the expense of making vaccines.
FluGen has licensed this technology and is an emerging leader in the development, production, and delivery of influenza vaccines and related infectious disease products. The new method could lead to the need for smaller facilities and means faster production of appropriate vaccines, critical in the event of a pandemic.
UNIVERSITY-BASED RESEARCH CONNECTION:
FluGen was co-founded by Paul V. Radspinner and researchers Dr. Yoshihiro Kawaoka and Dr. Gabriele Neumann at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The company licenses technology developed by the researchers at the UW-Madison Influenza Research Institute and patented by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF).
ROLE OF FEDERAL RESEARCH FUNDING:
Initial and ongoing funding for both Dr. Kawaoka’s and Dr. Neumann’s research is provided by the National Institutes of Health.
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FLUGEN, INC.