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William Murphy
February 13, 2020

Murphy’s startup lands new funding

Written By: Staff

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Dianomi Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company cofounded by University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher William Murphy, has received a $3 million investment from Ligand Pharmaceuticals as part of a new partnership.

Dianomi holds a license from the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation for mineral-coated microparticle (MCM) technology developed in Murphy’s lab. The technology provides stability and controlled release delivery of biologics and small molecule drugs by harnessing the natural property of mineralized tissues. The company says its approach can ultimately lower dosing and enhance patient compliance.

“Traditional approaches for encapsulation and delivery of drugs utilize artificial polymers that often disrupt drug structure and function,” says Murphy, the Harvey D. Spangler Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Orthopedics and H.I. Romnes Faculty Fellow at UW-Madison and chief scientific officer of Dianomi. “Our MCM technology overcomes this limitation by providing a matrix that naturally stabilizes the drug, with properties that can be tailored to the drug and its intended application. I am excited to advance this technology toward clinical applications that could benefit patients.”

Murphy is also the director of the Forward Bio Institute at UW-Madison, which supports innovation in biomanufacturing through research, workforce development and public-private partnerships.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company based in San Diego.


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