What began as an effort to meet demand for specialized pneumococcal testing has grown into a biotechnology company supporting vaccine research and expanding its work into other areas of infectious disease.
SunFire Biotechnologies, a UAB startup founded in 2019 by Moon Nahm, M.D., Endowed Professor Emeritus in the Department of Medicine at UAB, and his team, provides specialized laboratory testing, antibodies and research services to support vaccine development.
SunFire grew out of research developed by Nahm during his more than 20 years as a professor at UAB. During his academic career, Nahm directed a World Health Organization reference laboratory for pneumococcal serology and developed technologies used in pneumococcal vaccine research. 
Researchers and companies expressed interest in laboratory tests developed through his academic research.
“My lab manager heard that I might be retiring someday, and then he said, rather than me retiring, maybe he retires and then starts a company, and then I help him start the company,” Nahm said.
That conversation eventually led to the creation of SunFire, which was formed to meet demand from pneumococcal vaccine companies.
One of the company's primary tools is multiplexed opsonophagocytic assay (MOPA), a testing method developed by Nahm that measures the protective capacity of antibodies against pneumococcal bacteria. SunFire uses the assay to help researchers evaluate immune responses to pneumococcal vaccines. The company now offers MOPA testing for more than 30 pneumococcal capsule types, including those covered by pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV20), which protects the body against 20 different types of pneumococcal bacteria.
SunFire also provides monoclonal antibodies against pneumococcal capsular polysaccharides and offers custom assay development for other pathogens.
SunFire says it is also developing additional analytical assays for pneumococci and other pathogens, with several assays currently in various stages of development.
Since its founding, SunFire has grown to approximately a dozen employees and is preparing for another stage of expansion.
“SunFire is now thinking about expanding, maybe doubling or tripling the size of the company,” Nahm said.
For Nahm, that growth has brought a new challenge: learning the business side of biotechnology.
“We are more than scientists, but not businesspeople,” Nahm said. “But with the expansion, we have to recognize that business aspect of the operation of the company becomes substantial.”
As SunFire continues to grow, the company remains focused on providing specialized testing and research tools that help scientists evaluate pneumococcal vaccines and better understand immune responses to infection.
Learn more about SunFire Biotechnologies here.
-- Oct. 6, 2026