Novilytic preps for expansion with launch of new Proteometer-L

Short for “proteoform meter,” the Proteometer-L is sold in a kit as the world’s first technology for at-line molecular structure analysis and quantification. It is compatible with bioreactors and performs analyses of medicinal batches roughly every 10 minutes. The new tech enables process R&D scientists and drug manufacturers to recognize when a product run is going awry in near real time.

“This quick analysis saves up to six-plus hours a day and over $1 million per batch, increasing both profits and FDA compliance,” said Fred Regnier, PhD, Novilytic CTO and emeritus professor of chemistry at Purdue University. “The Proteometer kit is designed as a ‘plug and play’ consumable, ensuring easy adoption in almost all of the more than 250,000 instruments currently used in the pharmaceutical industry.”

Novilytic’s first product launch comes on the heels of successful pilot programs with large instrument manufacturers and contract development and manufacturing organizations, or CDMOs. These successful pilots have led to discussions for sales contracts that the company hopes to announce soon.

“With this as our official foray into commercialization, we are being incredibly diligent to cross our t’s and dot our i’s. The goal of our numerous pilot programs was to demonstrate that our solution works in potential customers’ laboratories, not just ours,” said Paul Dreier, Novilytic CEO. “We are thrilled to share that our customer training was less than one hour, and the pilot data looks as good and even better than ours in many cases.”

The development of the Proteometer-L was made possible due to a $1.6 million funding round with multiple investors, including the Purdue Research Foundation. These funds provided the basis for Novilytic to test multiple drugs currently on the market, proving that the patented Luminon® and MASC® technology in fact works in a real-world setting.

“Novilytic’s technology represents a major disrupter in the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry. It could lead to enhanced FDA compliance in a day and age where transparency and accuracy are paramount,” said Riley Gibb, associate director of Purdue Ventures. “We’re extremely proud to have them in our portfolio of early-stage startups and are looking forward to both the industry reaction to this product as well as Novilytic’s future offerings.”

In addition to the investment, Purdue Research Foundation worked with Novilytic to create a technology licensing and servicing agreement and provided several industry connections that have resulted in strategic partnerships for the company.

Novilytic is already planning a large-scale expansion to meet anticipated demand. This includes key hires for product management, operations and the laboratory team. The company is also looking to expand its West Lafayette laboratory and open an Indianapolis-area satellite office. Current job openings include director of analytics, manufacturing engineer and staff analytical scientist. 

The L in the Proteometer-L name stands for Luminon, which is a type of molecular-recognition agent that the company has trademarked. Novilytic plans to release additional Proteometer kits that are assay- and vertical-specific later in 2023. Secondary markets may include, but are not limited to, veterinary health, other antibodies, proteins and the ELISA market. 

About Novilytic LLC

Novilytic – The Canary in the Fermentor^TM – is a molecular-recognition company that utilizes nanotechnology to monitor the quality of lifesaving drugs. The company is backed by strong partnerships with large analytical companies, AI leaders and pharmaceutical consortiums. Our potency is extended by the Novilytic team, which includes multiple PhD chemists and engineers who have helped us secure significant patents and other IP. Our business plan will increase those forces to ensure we meet customer, market and regulatory demands. Learn more at Novilytic.com.

About Purdue Research Foundation

Purdue Research Foundation is a nonprofit corporation governed by 16 individuals who serve on a board of directors. The PRF Board of Directors meets quarterly to manage the business and affairs of the corporation, to prescribe and enforce policies, and to guide the corporation in achieving its objectives.   

Purdue Research Foundation supports Purdue University’s land-grant mission by helping the university improve the world through its technologies and graduates. Established in 1930, PRF is a private, nonprofit foundation. The foundation helps patent and commercialize Purdue technologies; builds places to encourage innovation, invention, investment, commercialization and entrepreneurship; and makes equity available to students to finance their Purdue education. For more information on licensing a Purdue innovation, contact the Office of Technology Commercialization at otcip@prf.org. For more information about involvement and investment opportunities in startups based on a Purdue innovation, contact the Purdue Startup Foundry at foundry@prf.org.