Penta Teams Up with IAVI and Achilles Vaccines to Develop New Treatments for HIV, Emerging Infections and Neglected Diseases
Padova, Italy, 01/02/2024 – Penta – Child Health Research announced a new collaboration with IAVI and Achilles Vaccines to accelerate the development of treatments for HIV, emerging infections and neglected diseases affecting children. This partnership will bring together the expertise of three organizations dedicated to global health, with the goal of developing affordable, accessible and effective solutions to some of the world’s most pressing health challenges.
The three organizations will work together to identify and develop innovative monoclonal antibodies against pediatric HIV infections for both preventive and therapeutic use. IAVI, a non-profit organization dedicated to developing vaccines and antibodies, will provide broadly neutralizing antibody (bnAb) sequences targeting HIV, access to existing HIV bnAb cell lines, and expertise in virology, immunology, as well as regulatory and clinical aspects related to HIV bnAbs. This collaboration aims to leverage IAVI’s deep experience in HIV vaccine and antibody development to drive progress in the fight against HIV and related diseases.
Penta, an international independent scientific network dedicated to child health, will provide specific clinical and immunological expertise on paediatric infectious diseases. This includes granting access to patient cohorts, clinical sites, and Penta international clinical research platform.
“This collaboration builds upon and expands the research and clinical activities that Penta conducted during the EPIICAL Project (www.epiical.org) funded by an unrestricted grant from ViiV Healthcare,” Paolo Rossi, EPIICAL Project Scientific Coordinator and Penta Foundation Board member, stated. “Penta’s commitment is integral to addressing the unique challenges posed by infectious diseases affecting children”.
Achilles Vaccines, a biotech company dedicated to developing safe and potent vaccines and monoclonal an¬tibodies through scalable, sustainable and cost-effective production processes, will oversee the generation of a cell line based on monoclonal antibody (mAb) sequences developed by IAVI and Penta. The company will play a crucial role in manufacturing clinical materials for evaluation and assessing future targets for manufacture and clinical evaluation.
“This collaboration marks a significant step forward in our collective efforts to combat HIV and other critical health challenges,” said Carlo Giaquinto, President of Penta Foundation and Professor of Paediatrics at the University of Padova, Italy. “We are excited to be working with IAVI and Achilles to leverage our expertise and bring about real change for patients around the world”.
“IAVI is greatly looking forward to this collective effort to advance monoclonal antibodies as a therapeutic and preventive tool for pediatric HIV,” said Jon Heinrichs, Vice President of Antibody Program Strategy and Translational Immunology at IAVI. “With approximately 1.5 million children in the world today living with HIV, promising new tools like monoclonal antibodies are deeply needed to both prevent and treat infection.”
“We are honored to have entered this collaboration and are eager to commence operations as soon as possible” stated Riccardo Baccheschi, President & CEO of Achilles Vaccines. “We firmly believe that this partnership could serve as an ideal platform for the development and use of mAbs in Africa to combat emerging infectious diseases, with a particular focus on the paediatric population”.
The collaboration agreement establishes a framework for reciprocal support and funding among the parties, fostering a collaborative environment that will expedite the development of life-saving interventions. The ultimate goal is to create accessible and affordable public health solutions for diseases that disproportionately affect children and underserved populations.
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About Penta – Child Health Research
Penta is an international independent scientific network dedicated to advancing research on optimising the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases in children and in pregnancy. With over 110 centres in 31 countries, Penta collaborates to develop and deliver world-class research and training, ultimately improving the lives of women and children worldwide.
Starting out from its work in HIV, today its portfolio includes investigations into HIV and other viral infections, severe sepsis and antimicrobial resistance, infections in pregnancy, neglected and emerging childhood infections. To date, Penta has sponsored 42 clinical trials, which have involved with more than 50,000 women and children.
About International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI)
IAVI is a non-profit scientific research organization dedicated to addressing urgent, unmet global health challenges including HIV, tuberculosis, and emerging infectious diseases. Its mission is to translate scientific discoveries into affordable, globally accessible public health solutions. Read more at iavi.org.
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About Achilles Vaccines S.r.l Achilles Vaccines S.r.l is a biotech company committed to the sustainable development of safe and potent vaccines and biopharmaceuticals capable of addressing some of the world’s most critical health problems, including antibiotic resistance and emerging infectious diseases. The company has a strong track record of developing new vaccines and biopharmaceuticals, and is committed to working with partners around the world to improve global health