Low-Cost Nanobody-Based Growth Factor Replacements

Members: Roke Biotechnologies, Duke University 

Project dates: 2026 – present

This project will develop scalable, low-cost manufacturing methods for next-generation media additives that replace expensive and unstable growth factors in biomanufacturing. These molecules are essential in cell culture media for bioindustrial manufacturing, but their high cost and variability limit widespread use. This work is unique because it combines advanced protein design with simplified bacterial production and purification, reducing reliance on animal sources while allowing cost-effective manufacturing of nanobodies, recombinant vaccines, and other therapeutics without chromatography or specialized equipment. This could enable distributed production and deployment for diagnostics and countermeasures in response to new disease outbreaks warfighters may be experiencing around the world, as well as protecting everyday Americans.  

Researchers will engineer novel proteins that activate the same cellular pathways as natural growth factors and develop media formulations tailored for commercially relevant cell types. Roke Biotechnologies will build on these designs by implementing strain engineering and an In-Bioreactor purification system that enables expression, lysis, and purification in a single vessel, dramatically reducing capital, labor, and water usage. 

By delivering growth factor alternatives at <$1,000/g and reducing resource intensity, this work enables more accessible, reproducible, and decentralized bioproduction. The resulting technologies will be made available through licensing, offering BioMADE members and the broader bioindustrial manufacturing community practical tools to scale protein manufacturing reliably and competitively. These tools can be adapted to reduce the cost and complexity of producing a wide range of biologics, enzymes, diagnostics, and research reagents including nanobodies for targeted therapies and biosensors for rapid disease detection.

Funding source: U.S. Department of Defense and National Science Foundation