AsianScientist (May 27, 2015) – Visterra, Inc., a biotechnology company, and the Drug Discovery & Development (D3) unit under the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, have announced plans to deepen their collaboration in furthering the development of VIS513, Visterra’s broadly neutralizing antibody for the treatment of dengue fever.
VIS513, which was engineered using Visterra’s innovative and proprietary technology, is a humanized monoclonal antibody that is designed to bind and potently neutralize all four serotypes of dengue virus. The company’s pre-clinical studies of VIS513 in animal models have demonstrated a rapid reduction in viral titers after a single systemic administration, which supports its potential use as a single administration treatment for dengue virus infection.
“We are encouraged by VIS513’s preclinical data, which demonstrate its potential to broadly neutralize all four dengue virus serotypes, as there is currently no specific treatment for dengue and prevention depends solely on limiting or eradicating mosquitoes that transmit the virus,” said Professor Alex Matter, chief executive officer of D3 and A*STAR’s Experimental Therapeutics Center (ETC).
The collaboration combines Visterra’s expertise in therapeutic antibodies for challenging infectious diseases with D3’s proficiency in bringing early stage discoveries into clinical development. D3 and Visterra will also work together with infectious disease experts at Duke-National University of Singapore (Duke-NUS) to generate additional data necessary to initiate clinical trials of VIS513.
Upon completion of these activities, D3 and Visterra will advance VIS513 through proof-of-concept clinical trials in humans, which will be conducted in Singapore. Under the terms of the collaboration agreement, Visterra retains all rights to develop and commercialize VIS513 globally.
“Visterra’s has deep roots in Singapore because of our long-standing association with the Infectious Disease Interdisciplinary Group of the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART) Center, which has made important contributions by advancing our scientific understanding of dengue fever and the potential role of antibodies to combat the virus,” said Dr. Brian J. G. Pereira, President and Chief Executive Officer of Visterra.
———
Source: Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR).
Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of AsianScientist or its staff.
