Portuguese Biotech for Ab Development for Bacterial Infections
Immune the, a Portuguese biotech company developing anti-bacterial immunotherapies has now received a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to test an antibody against the bacterial extracellular virulence factor GAPDH.
The details pertaining to the grant have not been disclosed. The biotech company based in Cantanhede is developing anti-bacterial immunotherapies based on the discovery of a virulence mechanism shared by different bacteria – including multi-resistant strains – that cause life-threatening infections.
Based on a novel scientific approach, the company’s immunotherapies aim at protecting a wide range of population segments from infections caused by different bacteria, including multi-resistant strains. The efficacy data on the pre-clinical model with Immunethep’s vaccine, which showed a broad coverage protection, along with its safety results, has raised the interest of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
“We are very proud to have received this support. The trust that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has demonstrated in Immunethep by awarding us this grant is an additional motivation to go forward with our roadmap and it also gives us a reinforced confidence in the scientific platform behind Immunethep’s pipeline,” said Pedro Madureira, Chief Scientific Officer of Immunethep.
“We were already able to find a set of partners to help us develop our PNV candidate vaccine addressing both human and animal market, and now, with the help of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation we can boost our antibody line development
” stated Bruno Santos, Chief Executive Officer of Immunethep.
