Arkana Laboratories has received an Arkansas SBIR Matching Grant to commercialize a mass spectrometry-based workflow for the diagnosis of autoimmune kidney diseases. The award bolsters the team’s Small Business Innovation Research Phase II award from the National Institutes of Health.
With staffing and research support from the grant, Arkana accelerates toward launching a more robust and efficient diagnostic service.
Working Toward a Better Diagnosis
Arkana conducted several years-long programs to identify the autoantigens in two similar autoimmune diseases.
Membranous nephropathy and membranous lupus nephritis trap immune complexes within the kidneys, often causing inflammation and loss of kidney function. Arkana’s work helps advance the understanding of the diseases’ outcomes and monitors the efficacy of treatment.
“Given that we have identified more than 20 autoantigens, it has become impractical to test for all of them using conventional assays,” said Chris Larsen, executive director at Arkana Laboratories. “However, mass spectrometry provides a sensitive and robust alternative approach that can diagnose any antigen type in membranous nephropathy.”
Mass spectrometry (MS) techniques can be used to simultaneously determine the molecular weight of many particles in a sample, producing a more efficient test result.
The award enables Arkana to hire a mass spectrometrist a year ahead of schedule, jump-starting the new diagnostic program. Arkana will also explore ways to use the technology to diagnose other classes of kidney disease with abnormal protein accumulation.
“We have a list of opportunities that we are eager to explore, and this matching grant will give us the freedom to develop additional diagnostic assays in advance of NIH funding,” Larsen said.
An MS program only bolsters Arkana’s presence in the diagnostic space.
With more than 3,000 physician clients in 44 states and D.C., Arkana provides final complete diagnostic reporting on most cases within the same day of biopsy.
“No other diagnostic service in the world matches our turnaround time,” Larsen said.
Arkana has received and reported on more than 185,000 kidney biopsies since 2001.
“Every single kidney biopsy is accompanied by a personal phone call from one of our pathologists to the ordering physician to convey the pathologic diagnosis, discuss implications for managing the patient, and often to educate the clients about rare or unusual forms of kidney disease,” Larsen said.
Currently 160 employees strong, Arkana expects to add 75 additional jobs over the next five years.
ASBTDC Assistance
Arkana engaged the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center for SBIR application development services.
ASBTDC Innovation Specialist Rebecca Todd assisted the team in identifying grant opportunities and developing their successful pitch for the SBIR Matching Grant Program administered by the Arkansas Economic Development Commission Division of Science & Technology.
“Rebecca Todd has provided essential assistance at every step of the way, from providing information about the AEDC matching grant program, to providing guidance as to the information that is required to put together a successful pitch deck, to the logistics of interacting with program officials at the AEDC,” said Daniel Kenan, director of innovation at Arkana. “She even reviewed our pitch deck to make sure we covered all of the bases. We couldn’t have done this without ASBTDC support.”
Advice for SBIR Applicants
Kenan advised new SBIR applicants to actively participate within the grant ecosystem.
“Build relationships with the NIH officials, including program officers and scientific review officers,” he said. “Pay attention to funding opportunities listed on NIH websites and communicate your ideas to the listed officials and solicit feedback. When asked to serve on grant review panels, do it! This is one of the best ways to learn how grant review is conducted and how to write better applications.”
Kenan also provided insight on handling criticism and adapting throughout the grant review process.
“When unfavorable reviews are received, don’t take it personally, and prepare a one-page response addressing reviewer concerns. It is surprising how many grants are scored unfavorably due to simple misunderstandings, and the program officers understand this and can fund even some sub-optimally scored grants if they can manage it with their budgetary constraints.”