Antigenesis Biologics was incorporated in February 2024 by doctors Hugh Morgan and Ciaran Doherty, with a mission to revolutionise veterinary medicine. Recognising a significant gap between human and animal healthcare innovations, they leveraged their extensive experience in human therapeutics to develop targeted biological treatments for companion animals.
Ciarans tell us “Our journey began as a bootstrapped venture supplemented by consultancy work, which funded our initial research into canine oncology treatments. Since then, we’ve secured valuable support from Techstart, Innovate UK, Invest NI, Founder Labs, and the Royal Academy of Engineering, enabling us to advance our therapeutic pipeline through pre-clinical development and expand into other critical areas including autoimmune and endocrinology conditions.”
The inspiration for Antigenesis came from Hugh and Ciaran’s backgrounds at contract research organisations, where they helped develop hundreds of monoclonal antibody therapeutics for human diseases. They realised many of these groundbreaking innovations could be adapted for veterinary medicine—a realisation that became deeply personal when our own pets faced health challenges. While initially focused on human applications, these experiences redirected the passion toward developing life-saving treatments for the underserved animal health sector.
As Co-founder alongside Ciaran, Hugh focuses on applying his expertise in protein engineering and pre-clinical development to design next-generation biologics. “My work involves harnessing AI/ML-enabled computational design approaches to develop innovative therapeutics before advancing them to laboratory testing. This approach allows us to create more targeted, effective treatments while optimising our development process.”
Antigenesis operates primarily as a virtual company based in Northern Ireland, strategically outsourcing laboratory activities to a trusted network of contract research organisations and local university partners. Ciaran shares that “Northern Ireland has proven to be an excellent foundation for our venture. The supportive startup ecosystem, particularly the community at Ormeau Baths and through the Founders Lab programme, has been invaluable. We’ve also benefited significantly from Invest NI and the local Innovate UK team. That said, we face certain challenges—laboratory space is expensive for a biotech startup, and local funding specifically for biotech ventures isn’t as robust as for other sectors. The extended investment timelines and patience required in our industry often means companies like ours look toward the US earlier in our funding journey than might otherwise be necessary.”
The core focus is developing therapeutic antibodies for companion animals. They currently have a pipeline of innovative products in pre-clinical development targeting canine oncology, autoimmune disorders, and endocrinology conditions. While the primary mission is creating these novel therapeutics, they have also supported the local ecosystem through consultation and mentoring activities. They actively seek collaborative partnerships to accelerate our therapeutic development and maximise our impact on veterinary care.
The innovation lies in translating cutting-edge human therapeutic technologies into veterinary applications. Antigenesis employs the latest advances in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and protein language models to design, develop, and optimise groundbreaking treatments. This approach allows for creating highly targeted, effective biologics that address significant unmet needs in animal health while leveraging computational methods to enhance efficiency and precision in our development process.
Ciaran shares upcoming projects for Antigenesis include: “Lead therapeutic candidates targeting canine lymphoma -the most common cancer affecting dogs – and a broader spectrum solid tumour therapeutic designed for multi-indication use.” Currently, there are no viable targeted treatments for these devastating canine diseases. The preliminary data from these programmes has been highly promising, and Antigenesis biologics are eager to advance these therapeutics into animal patients through our partnership with the School of Veterinary Medicine at University College Dublin and with guidance from our clinical advisor, Dr. Carles Blasi.
