Affinergy's Technology

Affinergy's site-specific biological delivery technology is called "Interfacial Biomaterials" ("IFBM"). IFBMs are modular structures that include two functional peptides:

• one designed to selectively bind to a specific biological material

  
  

• one designed to selectively bind to a specific target surface (biological or synthetic)

The two peptides are joined through a proprietary linker technology that offers unique capabilities such as cleavability or cross-linking.

Affinergy is building and patenting a "library" of peptides that bind with high affinity and high selectivity to bioactive and synthetic materials that are widely used in the biomedical and therapeutic industries.

Affinergy has an exclusive worldwide license from Duke University for all fields of use for the key patent application filed November 2001, related "know how", and all existing libraries of binders that were previously developed at Duke.

Affinergy's core technical platform is the ability to find peptide linkers that bind with "tunable " selectively & affinity to virtually any material. Affinergy can tune the mix of cells and growth factors on a scaffold to ultimately kickstart & control biology down a pathway. We have already identified binders for the following:

Competitive Advantages:

Affinergy's technology provides a novel, biofriendly method of attaching bioactive compounds, in sharp contrast with current chemical or photochemical attachment methods. Some of the key competitive advantages include:

• Specificity: Allows for precise biomolecular interactions to be initiated or modulated to optimize the performance of a device. This is not general "super glue" - but is highly specific binding.




• Biofriendliness: Preserves the structure and function of the more sensitive biological entities, in vitro and in vivo. Affinergy's technology immobilizes but does not deactivate growth factors, therapeutic agents, and cells.

• Process Advantages & 3-D Materials: Spray, dip, paint, and pattern - no surface preparation required. Uniform coverage on 3-D materials like PGA. Coat inside and outside differently. Active can be added to device in factory or at point of care




• Ready for Commercialization: Affinergy binders withstand prevailing sterilization techniques, appear to have no toxicological effect in vivo, and exhibit good shelf life capabilities.

Multifunctional Delivery Systems:

Affinergy's IFBM technology constitutes a unique platform for the creation of multifunctional therapeutic delivery systems.

One current example is a "cocktail" for an orthopedic application designed to:

A. Specifically recruit and anchor osteoblasts onto the implant surface

B. Induce the differentiation of osteoblasts into bone cells using immobilized growth factors such as a bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)

C. Immobilize stem cells and activate their differentiation into the desired cell type (e.g.; mineralized bone)

D. Recruit chondrocytes for cartilage regeneration