ABIVAX hostsR&D Day at its new laboratory in Montpellier

ABIVAX is hosting an R&D Day at the Company’s new collaborative laboratory with the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) in Montpellier.

Inaugurated on September 22, 2016, this collaborative lab houses all of ABIVAX’s research activities on the Languedoc-Roussillon CNRS campus and is equipped with cutting-edge technological infrastructures and platforms.

Founded in 2013, ABIVAX now employs 25 people and has developed a portfolio of antiviral, immune enhancing and polyclonal antibody compounds which are currently in research, preclinical or clinical development for the treatment of severe or life-threatening viral infections such as HIV/AIDS, Ebola, Chikungunya and Dengue, and potentially also for oncology indications

ABIVAX discovered ABX464, its most advanced compound, leveraging the Company’s unique antiviral technology platform developed in collaboration with the CNRS and the Curie Institute with the goal of generating small antiviral molecules with a novel mode of action. ABX464 is based on a thorough understanding of the transformation processes of viral RNA inside human immune cells and the ability of these proprietary chemical compounds to inhibit protein-RNA interactions.

ABX464 has not only been demonstrated to inhibit viral replication in vitro and in vivo, but also to induce a long-lasting reduction of the viral load following discontinuation of treatment in pre-clinical testing. This molecule has substantial potential in the context of developing a new class of antiretroviral drugs, which could lead to a functional cure for HIV/AIDS patients.

Prof. Hartmut Ehrlich, M.D., CEO of ABIVAX, said he was pleased to have the company’s doors opened for its laboratories to present its technologies and highlight the recent progress the company has achieved in advancing its product pipeline in the clinic, including ABX464, which is currently in a second Phase IIa clinical trial in patients infected with HIV.

Prof Ehrlich said: “This molecule, which has the potential to fundamentally improve the treatment options for patients with HIV/AIDS, resulted from the collaboration between the teams of Dr. Jamal Tazi, Professor at the Montpellier Molecular Genetics Institute, Dr. Florence Mahuteau from the Curie Institute, and Dr. Didier Scherrer, VP R&D at ABIVAX. We are confident that ABX464 has the potential to become a key component of a functional cure for one of the world’s deadliest diseases.”