RODD CAYTON/Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Wednesday, August 10, 2005 7:00 pm
Nature Technology hasn't saved a life yet, said president Clague Hodgson, but the Lincoln company is trying.
Nature Technology develops and markets new technologies and services in the fields of DNA vaccination and gene therapeutics, he said.
Hodgson described Nature Technology's staff as "genetic engineers who have gone into the realm of manufacturing."
DNA vaccines, Hodgson said, will help human or animal immune systems defend the body against infection
The company passes its DNA "vectors" molecules with revised genetic instructions on to other biotechnology firms or government labs, which are using them to develop new human and animal health products.
Nature Technology produces DNA in amounts ranging from a few milligrams to several grams, for clients primarily on the coasts.
"Still ahead are kilograms," Hodgson said, and larger batches that will be used in manufacturing DNA vaccines. One key advantage Nature Technology has in competition is that it has the industry's most efficient DNA fermentation process, Hodgson said.
"We aim to be first, fastest, and foremost," he said.
The company makes DNA, (the genetic material), then inserts it into bacteria cells, where it replicates, producing thousands of copies of the DNA in each cell.
The material is placed in a centrifuge, and separated to a point at which it's easy to pluck out DNA. Everything else must be removed. The finished DNA pieces are then shipped to the customer.
Nature Technology usually ships its products frozen, on dry ice.
For a company that depends on young people to keep its innovative edge, the proximity of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus is a huge plus, Hodgson said.
"Many talented professionals live here and do not want to move elsewhere," he said. Several of the company's leaders have been found in Lincoln, and grown into their roles, he said.
"We seem to have stumbled on almost the perfect combination of intellect and collegiality," he said. "There is no shortage of creativity and ideas, but everyone here is ready to work hard, as well. We've been able to put together a dream team of just the right people, and it happened almost effortlessly."
Kimberly Hanson, who weeks in small-scale DNA plasma production, said she enjoys her job because she's always busy and the projects differ greatly.
"I learn something quite often that I didn't know before," Hanson said.
The biggest deficit to doing business in Nebraska, Hodgson said, is the almost complete lack of venture capital.
"It's almost dead opposite of the Silicon Valley," he said.
A few DNA-vaccines for animal use are on the market now, said Hodgson, and firms are doing clinical trials for drugs that could combat HIV, Hepatitis B and C and other diseases. He estimates commercial human treatments will be approved by the federal government within two or three years.
Gene therapy has been around for about 20 years, said Hodgson, and hasn't yet been as successful, for example, as organ transplanting, which now extends lives worldwide.
At BD Biosciences Clontech, a maker of reagents (chemical agents for use in chemical reactions) in Palo Alto, Calif., Nature Technology is a highly valued vendor, said supply chain manager Lyn Loomis.
"They always deliver on time, and their pricing is very competitive," she said. "If I have a special need they'll work the weekend to get it done. They have never let me down."
Loomis said Nature Technology's attitude toward customer service makes doing business with the company easy.
"If something doesn't arrive exactly the way it should, they take care of it immediately," she said. "I wish all my vendors were as responsive."
Reach Rodd Cayton at 473-7107 or rcayton@journalstar.com.