Biotech Firms Forge On In Race To Unearth Profits From SOD

Author: RENEE TWOMBLY, p. 1, 8-9. Since 1965, entrepreneurs have struggled to find a way to capitalize on the enzyme's anti-inflammatory properties Immunologist Mark Saifer was sure, even before it had a name, that the peculiar emerald-green protein could reduce inflammation. But Saifer and the other scientists who have acted on that conviction to build up DDI Pharmaceuticals Inc. of Mountain View, Calif., couldn't say why the protein, derived from bovine testicles, worked, much less how it c

Written byRenee Twombly
| 9 min read

Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
9:00
Share

Author: RENEE TWOMBLY, p. 1, 8-9.


Since 1965, entrepreneurs have struggled to find a way to capitalize on the enzyme's anti-inflammatory properties

Immunologist Mark Saifer was sure, even before it had a name, that the peculiar emerald-green protein could reduce inflammation. But Saifer and the other scientists who have acted on that conviction to build up DDI Pharmaceuticals Inc. of Mountain View, Calif., couldn't say why the protein, derived from bovine testicles, worked, much less how it could be converted into a drug or what diseases it could treat.

"When we started we were really alone," says Saifer, who joined the company in 1970 and is now DDI's scientific director. "We were the only crazy believers in something that we didn't even know was an enzyme." AUTHOR: Robin Twombly, p.9 When a cell metabolizes oxygen to make energy, it forms oxygen molecules with an extra electron. That property allows these ...

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

The Scientist Logo
Receive full access to digital editions of The Scientist, as well as TS Digest, feature stories, more than 35 years of archives, and much more!
Already a member? Login Here

Meet the Author

Published In

Share
February 2026

A Stubborn Gene, a Failed Experiment, and a New Path

When experiments refuse to cooperate, you try again and again. For Rafael Najmanovich, the setbacks ultimately pushed him in a new direction.

View this Issue
Human-Relevant In Vitro Models Enable Predictive Drug Discovery

Advancing Drug Discovery with Complex Human In Vitro Models

Stemcell Technologies
Redefining Immunology Through Advanced Technologies

Redefining Immunology Through Advanced Technologies

Ensuring Regulatory Compliance in AAV Manufacturing with Analytical Ultracentrifugation

Ensuring Regulatory Compliance in AAV Manufacturing with Analytical Ultracentrifugation

Beckman Coulter Logo
Conceptual multicolored vector image of cancer research, depicting various biomedical approaches to cancer therapy

Maximizing Cancer Research Model Systems

bioxcell

Products

Sino Biological Logo

Sino Biological Pioneers Life Sciences Innovation with High-Quality Bioreagents on Inside Business Today with Bill and Guiliana Rancic

Sino Biological Logo

Sino Biological Expands Research Reagent Portfolio to Support Global Nipah Virus Vaccine and Diagnostic Development

Beckman Coulter

Beckman Coulter Life Sciences Partners with Automata to Accelerate AI-Ready Laboratory Automation

Refeyn logo

Refeyn named in the Sunday Times 100 Tech list of the UK’s fastest-growing technology companies