From the Lab to Real-World Solutions:

The Journey of AFR Labs to URCI

by Ben Pyles

Have you ever wondered how a scientific breakthrough turns into a real-world treatment? That question fascinated me as a kid and ultimately led me on a journey to understand how innovation happens in medicine. The process from idea to impact is long, complex, and often filled with challenges—but it’s also incredibly rewarding when a discovery can improve lives.

I’m Ben Pyles, founder of AFR Labs, based in the Union River Innovation Center in Ellsworth, Maine. Before launching AFR, I worked as a laboratory scientist at academic institutions, helping translate genetic and biochemical discoveries into treatments tested on animal models. While many promising breakthroughs begin in cell cultures, moving them into living organisms is an entirely different challenge. It requires persistence, adaptability, and the willingness to navigate setbacks.

Bringing a new therapeutic to life requires resilience. Many exciting ideas don’t pan out as expected—some have unforeseen side effects, trigger immune responses, or simply fail in animal models. This process can be frustrating, as setbacks far outnumber successes. But much like entrepreneurship, scientific discovery rewards persistence. It’s a field where failure isn’t just possible—it’s expected.

That parallel between research and business is why I founded AFR Labs. Our mission is to bridge the gap between laboratory success and real-world treatments for companion animals. By focusing on veterinary medicine, we can develop meaningful solutions while navigating a more efficient regulatory pathway compared to human drug development. While treating human diseases is the ultimate goal for many researchers, the cost and time investment can be prohibitive. Pursuing veterinary applications first provides a more attainable way to make a difference, while still gathering crucial data that could one day apply to human medicine.

One of my biggest influences is James Wallis, founder of Hygieia Biological Laboratories. He started small, developing a niche vaccine to protect dogs from rattlesnake bites—a product that now saves countless pets each year. Over time, his company expanded, creating vaccines used in nearly every commercial chicken in the U.S. His journey reinforced a crucial lesson: start with achievable goals and build from there.

Jim once advised me, “Forget treating humans—you’ll end up with a pile of academic papers instead of real impact.” At first, I pushed back against that idea, spending years working on an injectable therapy for Angelman’s Syndrome. But I eventually saw his point. The academic world often values publications over practical applications, and moving a treatment from discovery to market is an immense challenge. Many promising innovations stall due to funding gaps, patent constraints, or regulatory hurdles. It’s a harsh reality—one that prevents many groundbreaking treatments from ever reaching those who need them most.

Academic institutions, for all their incredible research, are not designed to bring products to market efficiently. The patent process is often slow, and by the time an invention reaches a potential commercial partner, the clock has already been ticking for years. This limits the time a company has to bring a drug to market before facing competition from generic alternatives. It’s a system that inadvertently discourages investment in risky, high-cost innovations, even when those innovations could be life-changing.

Why Start with Veterinary Medicine?

Developing a human drug can take over a decade and cost billions of dollars. By contrast, veterinary medicine—especially for companion animals—offers a faster and more practical path. Success in animal health can also provide valuable data for future human applications, a strategy companies like Merck used when developing Ivermectin. Originally discovered in a soil-dwelling fungus in Japan, Ivermectin was first approved as a canine dewormer. From there, it expanded to livestock, and eventually, human medicine—where it now plays a crucial role in preventing River Blindness and treating other parasitic diseases.

At AFR Labs, our initial focus is canine osteosarcoma (bone cancer). Originally, we considered brain cancer, but after consulting veterinarians, we realized that tracking brain tumors would require MRI access—something most vet clinics lack. Bone cancer, on the other hand, can be monitored with X-rays, making it a more practical first target. Our goal is to improve survival rates by preventing metastases, which often spread to the lungs, liver, and kidneys.

Canine osteosarcoma is a particularly aggressive cancer, with limited treatment options. Many dogs diagnosed with the disease face amputation followed by chemotherapy, but even with treatment, survival rates are often low due to the rapid spread of the cancer. By developing a therapy that targets metastatic cells before they take hold, we hope to extend both the quantity and quality of life for affected dogs.

One of the advantages of focusing on veterinary applications is that the regulatory process is more streamlined than it is for human drugs. While approval for a human pharmaceutical can take over a decade, veterinary drugs often move through the process in a fraction of that time. This allows us to bring effective treatments to market sooner, while still conducting rigorous safety and efficacy studies.

If our treatment proves successful, we hope to expand to other species and eventually contribute to human medicine through collaboration. While my current focus is on veterinary applications, I work closely with individuals who share a vision of translating these treatments into human healthcare. The pathway from animal medicine to human applications is well established, and each successful veterinary treatment provides additional confidence in its potential for broader use.

In the long term, AFR Labs aims to tackle a range of diseases beyond osteosarcoma. Many conditions that affect animals also impact humans, and advancements in one field often lead to breakthroughs in the other. While our journey is just beginning, our mission remains clear: to take scientific discoveries out of the lab and turn them into real-world solutions that improve lives.

Innovation doesn’t happen in isolation. It takes collaboration, persistence, and a willingness to push forward despite obstacles. AFR Labs is committed to bridging the gap between research and application, ensuring that promising treatments don’t just remain ideas—they become realities.

Ben Pyles is the founder of AFR Labs, located in the Union River Innovation Center in Ellsworth, Maine. With a background as a laboratory scientist at academic institutions, Ben has been instrumental in translating genetic and biochemical discoveries into treatments tested on animal models. His work emphasizes bridging the gap between laboratory success and real-world treatments, particularly in veterinary medicine. Under his leadership, AFR Labs focuses on developing therapies for companion animals, aiming to improve survival rates and quality of life. Ben’s strategic approach draws inspiration from industry leaders like James Wallis of Hygieia Biological Laboratories, reinforcing the importance of starting with achievable goals and building from there. His commitment to innovation and practical applications drives AFR Labs’ mission to transform scientific discoveries into tangible solutions.

If you’d like to learn more, feel free to contact Ben.