A therapeutics startup launched from an Ohio-based company recently received $500,000 in funding from Southern Research and took up a private office space in the Station 41 Incubator.
DomainOne, which focuses on developing small molecule therapeutics for systemic sclerosis and was founded this year out of Cincinnati-based biotechnology research firm Orange Grove Bio, was one of eight biotech companies that received the funding as part of Southern Research’s Therapeutics Development Fund (TDF).
Orange Grove has been in contact with Southern Research discussing the launch of DomainOne for around 18 months, having originally connected with them through an employee contact.
Michael Kalos, a senior venture partner for Orange Grove with over 30 years of oncology-focused research and development experience, said the funding from Southern Research will be used to develop DomainOne’s small molecule therapeutics research and eventually build out more wet lab space.
Kalos’ work with Orange Grove involves connecting small biotech research companies with contract research organizations (CROs) such as Southern Research to help with initial overhead costs and employment challenges so they can achieve growth faster.
“Southern Research is a terrifically important part because of their capabilities and their location,” Kalos said. “One of the other elements of the Orange Grove model is we will build in local ecosystems. We’re not going to take IP from Alabama and bring it to Cincinnati or one of these hubs that have a lot of (research and development) capabilities built already.”
Kalos and some of his fellow colleagues first visited Birmingham in spring 2023 for an event organized by Southern Research, through which they got to meet Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin.
“I think the mayor’s vision and the city leadership’s vision for how Birmingham is going to transition from a 20th century model of building an ecosystem of business into a 21st century model of building an ecosystem of innovation is really bold, and the direction I think cities need to go in,” Kalos said.
DomainOne’s work centers around a molecule called transforming growth factor beta, or TGF beta, which Kalos described as a “linchpin to many different aspects of tumor and immune biology.” According to Kalos, TGF beta helps tumors metastasize, turns them more aggressive and suppresses the immune system that tries to attack their growth.
The research conducted by DomainOne aims to use targeted delivery, which involves programing TGF beta to only target a specific area of the body, to disrupt the process of tumor maturation in the body without disrupting other bodily functions.
Kalos said he is excited to be working with Southern Research to further develop this therapeutic to fight systemic sclerosis, as well as partner on other projects past DomainOne.
“We recognize that there is innovation everywhere; we are not interested in playing in Boston and San Fransisco and these huge markets that are saturated from people with a lot of money,” Kalos said. “The innovation the exists in places like Birmingham is one that we want to be part of.”
