AndroLogika is a privately-funded, reproductive testing
and technology development company developing novel approaches
to fertility testing in humans, farm animals and pets, in
addition to non-hormonal immuno-contraception. Initial customers
are producers and breeders of cattle, hogs, horses and pets.
Expansion to human male infertility diagnostics and contraceptive
development is planned in the second phase of Company development.
Current semen quality tests are based on appearance and
mobility of sperm relative to expected norms and do not
indicate reliably the actual effectiveness of an insemination.
AndroLogika's testing approach examines protein markers
pointing to damaged sperm. AndroLogika's tests detect abnormal
spermatozoa regardless of whether their morphology/appearance
in light microscopy deviates from accepted standards. AndroLogika's
methodology thus avoids current problems in false detection
of normal spermatozoa damaged during sample processing,
and also detects the spermatozoa that are defective, but
appear normal in conventional analysis.
Q: When and why did you start AndroLogika?
AndroLogika LLC was registered with state of Missouri on
April 15, 2004. Unofficially, AndroLogika was founded in
May, 2003 by myself and Dr. J. Ward Hills of Pangloss
Analytics Inc. The Company was launched to commercialize
the intellectual capital developed by the Sutovsky Laboratory
at the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Q: How is business? What has AndroLogika been up to
lately?
Currently we are in the development stage, but by last
quarter of 2004, we anticipate generating our first revenues
and expect to have a staff of three full-time employees.
The laboratory has developed several novel approaches to
fertility testing in humans, farm animals and pets. We have
also been developing a method of birth control that uses
a woman’s own immune system to block fertilization. As a
matter of fact, AndroLogika was featured in the June, 2004
issue of Discover Magazine. Click on the following
link to view the article: http://www.discover.com/issues/jun-04/rd/shot-replace-pill.
Additionally, we have already achieved the following milestones:
- Commitment of seed resources and services with the engagement
of Pangloss Analytics Inc. and Pangloss’ founder, Dr.
Ward Hills, as a Interim-CEO
- Negotiations begun on IP licenses, subcontracting and
facilities access
- Identification of premises
- Established interest of first customer/development partner
- Proof of concept for human infertility diagnostics and
animal fertility (two markers)
- Proof of concept in vitro (tests tube) for a non-hormonal
immunocontraceptive
Q: What resources were useful to you when starting AndroLogika?
Dr. J. Ward Hills and Pangloss Analytics Inc. have been
instrumental in developing all aspects of AndroLogika's
business including R&D planning, business plan development,
licensing, market research and communication with potential
customers and investors. Ward is CEO of AndroLogika.
The Missouri Innovation Center, Inc. has helped us negotiate
the MU conflict of interest process and will provide Andrologika
with ongoing accounting and administrative support. They
also helped us establish contacts with the area's incubators
and non-profit organizations helping new startups.
The Office of Technology and Special Projects was the motivator
and the source of inspiration and encouragement for starting
AndroLogika. Chris Fender, Terry Nixon and director Tom
Sharpe have been providing us with advice and guidance on
various aspects of development including technology patenting
and licensing and compliance with university, state and
federal regulations.
Faculty and administrators with the Animal Reproductive
Physiology Program/Animal Science department have been extremely
supportive of our effort, providing assurances of technical
support in early stages of company development.
Q: What advice do you have for others starting their
own companies?
Do not be afraid to make the big jump into business world.
There is so much to learn and enjoy. Be sure to start with
a strong technology, supported by your science and protected
by exclusive rights to pertinent intellectual property,
but do not underestimate the value of market research, marketing,
publicity and knowledge of management. Find experienced,
established business people with connection to your work
to help you with the business part of your company. It may
sound almost impossible, but you can find such individuals
if you let the world outside of science know what you are
up to.
Q: What roadblocks have you encountered in starting
your company here at the University of Missouri and what
improvements have been made?
Thus far, we have not encountered any major roadblock,
and we are quite pleased with due process in establishing
a company with ties to the University. The Economic Development
Mission is very new to the University, so there are still
many rules that need to be established and adjusted as we
go. People at the Office of Research and OTSP have both
been of great help to us. The incubator being established
on the MU campus will address the outstanding space concerns.
Companies like AndroLogika would benefit tremendously if
the University could establish a seed fund for the earliest
stage of technology development, when relatively small amounts
of money are need for proof of the concept research.
Q: Tell me about your educational background.
- Ph.D. in Physiology of Reproduction (8/1994): Institute
of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences,
Libechov, Czech Republic.
- M.S. in Animal Science (7/1989): Slovak Agricultural
University, Nitra, Slovakia, Magna cum laude and Dean’s
Award.
- Postdoctoral Fellow (1994-1997): University of Wisconsin,
Madison, WI.
Q: How about your work experience? Where have you worked?
- 7/2001-present: Assistant Professor in the Department
of Animal Sciences which is in the College of Agriculture,
Food and Natural Resources. I spend 80% of my time conducting
research and 20% of my time teaching (AnSci 433 Gamete
& Embryo Biology, AnSci 434 Gonadal Function).
- 1/2001 to 6/2001: Affiliate Assistant Scientist, Division
of Reproductive Sciences, Oregon Regional Primate Research
Center, Oregon Health Sciences University, Beaverton,
OR.
- 7/1997 to 12/2000: Staff Scientist I, Division of Reproductive
Sciences, Oregon Regional Primate Research Center, Oregon
Health Sciences University, Beaverton, OR.
- 10/1996 to 6/1997: Laboratory manager & cell imaging
specialist, W. M. Keck Neural Imaging Laboratory, Center
for Neuroscience, Dr. Ronald Kalil, director; University
of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (50% appointment).
- 3/1994-6/1997: Research associate/postdoctoral fellow,
Laboratory of Dr. Gerald Schatten, Dept. of Zoology, University
of Wisconsin, Madison, WI. Supported in part by Fogarty
International Research Fellowship #1FO5 TWO5183, NIH,
Bethesda, MA. (10/96-6/97 as a 50% appointment).
- 1/1994-3/1994: Staff scientist, Institute of Animal
Physiology and Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Libechov,
Czech Republic.
- 1/1992-7/1992: Trainee, INRA, Dept. of Cell and Molecular
Biology, Dr. J. E. Flechon, lab director, Jouy-en-Josas,
France. Supported by a fellowship from Centre International
des Etudiants et Stagiaires (CIES), Paris, France.
- 9/1990-12/1993: Ph.D. student/trainee, Dr. Jan Motlik,
Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics Libechov,
Czech Republic.
- 8/1989-9/1989: Trainee, Institute of Animal Physiology
and Genetics, Libechov, Czechoslovakia (Czech Republic).
Q: What professional organizations are you affiliated
with?
1997-present, Society for the Study of Reproduction (SSR)
1996-present, American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB)
2000-present, American Society for Reproductive Medicine
(ASRM)
2001-present, The Mitochondrial Research Society
Ad-hoc Reviewer for the following Publications/Organizations:
- Anatomical Record
- Biology of Reproduction
- Developmental Biology
- European Journal of Cell Biology
- Experimental Cell Research
- Human Reproduction
- Journal of Andrology
- Journal of Assisted Reproduction & Genetics
- Journal of Experimental Zoology
- Microscopy and Microanalysis
- Molecular Human Reproduction
- Proceeding of The National Academy of Science
- Molecular Reproduction & Development
- Reproduction Nutrition Development
- Science
Q: What honors and rewards have your received?
- 2004: Invited lecturer, SERONO Symposium "Andrology
and the Andrologist in the Post-Assisted Reproduction
Technology Era," Buenos Aires, Argentina
- 2004: Invited Plenary Speaker, European Congress
of Reproductive Immunology, Plzen, Czech Republic
- 2003: Pfizer Inc., Global Research & Development,
grant award
- 2003: Invited speaker, 19th Annual Meeting of
the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology
(ESHRE), Madrid, Spain
- 2002: USDA-Animal Reproduction Grant #. 2002-02069
Ubiquitin Dependent Proteolysis in Farm Animal Spermatogenesis
and Fertilization ($236,000; 9/2002-9/2005)
- 2002: Session Chair, Molecular Biology of Male
and Female Gametes, 35th Annual Meeting of the society
for the Study of Reproduction, Baltimore, MD
- 2000: NIH/NIOSH Exploratory/Developmental Grant
R-21 Ubiquitin-based semen quality assay in Toxicology
- 2000: Co-chair, 9th French-Czech-Slovak Symposium
of Reproductive Biology with International Participation,
Stara Lesna, Slovakia, September 1-3, 2000
- 2000: Course Director, WINDOW TO THE ZYGOTE 2000:
An Advanced Course of Cell and Molecular Biology of Gametes,
Fertilization and Early Embryonic Development, Prague
2000, ICRO/UNESCO and the Society For The Study Of Reproduction
- 1999: New Investigator Award, U.S. Department
of Agriculture, Animal Reproductive Efficiency Program
- 1999: NIH grant R-21, Opportunities for Research
at Regional Primate Research Centers: Perinuclear theca
in spermatogenesis and fertilization
- 1998-2000: Co-chair, Organizing Committee, WINDOW
TO THE ZYGOTE 2000: An Advanced Course of Cell and Molecular
Biology of Gametes, Fertilization and Early Embryonic
Development, Prague 2000, organized under the auspices
of The International Cell Research Organization of UNESCO
and the Society For The Study Of Reproduction
- 1994-1996: Fogarty International Research Fellow
of the N.I.H., Bethesda, MA
- 1992: Fellow of the International Center for
Students and Scholars (C.I.E.S.), Paris, France
Q: What are your research interests?
The overarching theme of my research is the characterization
of "paternal" contributions made to the fertilized
egg by the male game, the spermatozoon. Besides of paternal
chromosomes, the fertilizing spermatozoon makes a number
of important contributions including organelles (centrosome;
perinuclear theca; mitochondria) and molecules (oocyte activating
factors, transcritpionla factors, signaling molecules, histones,
mitochondrial DNA, messenger RNAs) that either have to be
actively degraded by the egg, or utilized by it in the earliest
stages of development after fertilization. My research activities
are focused on two major areas of interest: The ubiquitin-dependent
proteolysis in spermatogenesis, fertilization and pre-implantation
development, and the role of the sperm head skeleton, perinuclear
theca in these respective developmental events.
I have been working on the characterization of the ubiquitin-dependent
mechanisms for the degradation of paternal mitochondria
at fertilization, which selectively recognizes and degrades
sperm mitochondria inside the fertilized egg. The ubiquitin-dependent,
epididymal sperm quality control mechanism appears to act
via the apocrine secretion of ubiquitin by the epididymal
epithelial cells. I am currently developing ubiquitin-based
assays for sperm quality to be used in human infertility
treatment, toxicology screening and assessment of semen
quality in farm animals. My newest research uncovered the
role of sperm head proteasomes in mammalian fertilization,
a development that is likely to provide a new target for
non-hormonal contraceptives.
In collaboration with Dr. Richard Oko (Queen's University,
Kingston, ON), I work on the characterization of several
major proteins of the sperm head skeleton, perinuclear theca.
These include the testis-specific histone H2B and H3 variants,
tyrosine kinase c-Yes, and signaling protein PT32. PT32
is a candidate component of the elusive, sperm borne-oocyte
activating factor (SOAF), considered by many to be the holy
grail of fertilization biology. This sperm perinuclear theca
(PT) protein is brought inside the oocyte by the fertilizing
spermatozoon and contributes to the intiation of of embryonic
development.
While the background of my Lab is mainly in cell imaging
and subcellular structure of gametes and prelimplantation
embryos, we combine our immunofluorescence and electron
microscopic observations of sperm and eggs with a wide array
of biochemical and molecular approaches including proteomic
analysis by flow cytometry, SELDI, MALDI-TOF, conventional
and quantitative RT-PCR, one and two dimensional SDS-PAGE
and Western blotting, immunoprecipitation, protein purification,
and the production of monoclonal antibodies and rabbit sera
against purified and recombinant proteins, and synthetic
peptides.
The applications of my research include the development
of the objective, automated assays for an unbiased evaluation
of semen quality in farm animals and the diagnostic of human
male infertility, the targeting of sperm ubiquitin-proteasome
system for the purpose of developing a highly efficient
non-hormonal contraceptive, and the improvement of assisted
reproductive technologies such as ICSI and nuclear transfer
(NT) by deciphering the role of ubiquitin system and sperm
perinuclear theca in oocyte activation, pronuclear development,
processing of the sperm accessory structures after ICSI
and remodeling of the donor cell nucleus inside the recipient
cytoplast after NT.
For more information about products or business opportunities,
contact the company by email at: info@andrologika.com.
You can contact Dr. Peter Sutovsky, Co-Founder and Chief
Scientific Officer of AndroLogika, by phone at (573) 882-3329,
or by email at SutovskyP@missouri.edu.
You can contact Dr. J. Ward Hills, Co-Founder and Chief
Executive Officer of AndroLogika, by email at ward@andrologika.com.
View AndroLogika's
web site.
View Dr.
Sutovsky's personal web page.
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