Balthasar honored with UB Entrepreneur Award

The Entrepreneur Award recognizes UB faculty who demonstrate exceptional entrepreneurial leadership by translating research discoveries or innovations into commercial or societal impact. Recipients advance new ventures, products or partnerships that drive technology development and economic growth, while reflecting UB’s spirit of innovation and enterprise.

Balthasar was honored Oct. 29 at the UB Celebration of Faculty and Staff Excellence.

“This award is very meaningful to me, as it provides a formal indication that the efforts of my laboratory are recognized and appreciated by the university,” Balthasar said.

As the David and Jane Chu Endowed Chair in Drug Discovery and Development and a professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Balthasar also serves as director of the Center for Protein Therapeutics. Internationally recognized for his research in protein therapeutics, he develops innovative mechanistic and physiological models to describe and predict protein disposition.

Balthasar’s lab applies pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic modeling to guide the discovery and development of new immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases. The lab’s work has led to the discovery of more than 15 platform technologies that have provided opportunities for patent applications, startup launches, licensing deals and an acquisition deal with a major pharmaceutical company.

The Balthasar lab’s notable accomplishments include:

• Discovering and developing anti-FcRn therapies for treatment of auto- and allo-immune conditions: The lab received the first National Institutes of Health grant focused on the development of FcRn inhibitors, published the first in vivo investigations of the effects of an anti-FcRn monoclonal antibody, and received the first U.S. patent for the use of specific anti-FcRn antibodies for treating auto- and allo-immune conditions. The patent was licensed to Momenta, which was acquired by Johnson & Johnson to support their efforts to develop nipocalimab (Imaavy). Their work paved the way for the development of a new class of drugs—FcRn inhibitors—three of which have recently been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treating autoimmune diseases: efgartigimod (Vyvgart), rozanolixizumab (Rystiggo) and nipocalimab (Imaavy).
• Discovering and developing platform technologies designed to increase the intratumoral distribution and anti-cancer efficacy of monoclonal antibodies and antibody-drug conjugates: The lab’s Anti-Idiotypic Distribution Enhancer (AIDE) platform is under development by the Empire Discovery Institute. The team anticipates advancing its lead candidate for investigational new drug (IND)-enabling investigations in 2026.
• Discovering and developing platform technologies to decrease the toxicity of anti-cancer antibody-drug conjugates: The lab’s Payload-Binding Selectivity Enhancer (PBSE) platform was licensed to Abceutics Inc., a startup company Balthasar launched with former students Dr. Brandon Bordeau and Dr. Toan Duc Nguyen, and industry colleague Dr. Larry Wienkers. Abceutics Inc. was acquired by Merck in 2024 to support development of their PBSE candidates.  

Balthasar acknowledged his collaborators, Dr. Brandon Bordeau, Dr. Toan Duc Nguyen, Dr. Larry Wienkers, Dr. Ryan Hansen, Dr. Feng Jin and Dr. Lubna Abuqayyas, for their contributions to the lab’s success.