SA StartUp Afrobodies Seeks To Provide High Quality Single Domain Antibodies From Alpacas
SA StartUp Afrobodies Seeks To Provide High Quality Single Domain Antibodies From Alpacas. Afrobodies is a South African biotech company producing high quality single domain antibodies from alpacas. The company’s products are in demand for applications such as life sciences research, immunodiagnostics, agriculture and immunotherapy.
The company started with frustration. Like so many businesses, Afrobodies began with someone thinking “There’s got to be a better way…” That ‘someone’ was co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer, Peter Durcan. His frustration was with antibodies. They were an everyday laboratory essential for his post-doctoral scientific research at Stellenbosch University. In South Africa, researchers using antibodies rely almost entirely on imported product. Peter found his research at times hampered by the inconsistency in quality, price and lead times of these products.
Peter learned about an alternative method that produces recombinant antibodies that are smaller, more sensitive and more suited to rapid, user-friendly testing. He spent six years conducting post-doctoral research at Stellenbosch University’s Department of Physiological Sciences. His work mainly focused on the molecular mechanisms regulating the somatic cell fusion process in mammals. Prior to this he obtained a PhD in Cell/Cellular Molecular Biology from Manchester Metropolitan University, following his Masters in Molecular Exercise Physiology at Aberdeen University. Peter and co-founder and CEO, Benedicta Mahlangu, have put together a supporting team that includes a global pioneer of this method.
Benedicta is that supposedly rare combination: an engineer by background and an extrovert who loves networking for business. Her most recent work is for the Saldanha Bay Industrial Development Zone where she engages with private sector, government and community stakeholders. She has also worked as a shipping and logistics expert with Maersk and as an offshore engineer with Schlumberger. In 2018 she was named one of South Africa’s Inspiring 50, an accolade for female leaders in the STEM sector.
