Located in University Research Park, Dianomi is developing pain medications and other drugs using mineral coated microparticles, which mimic properties in bones and teeth, to make drugs last longer and work more effectively.
The technology stems from research by Bill Murphy, a UW-Madison biomedical engineer who is the company’s co-founder and chief scientific officer. It is based in part on archaeological studies that showed proteins in fossils could remain stable for centuries if associated with calcium-based minerals.
The company previously licensed its core technology, the mineral coated microparticles, from WARF, UW-Madison’s tech-transfer arm. The new license expands the technology’s use to nucleic acid therapy — using DNA or RNA, or related compounds, to modify or enhance the expression of desired genes.
The microparticle technology, in combination with nucleic acids, has demonstrated “favorable results” in lab and animal studies, the company said in a statement.
