News
Aitua invests in ViraBiotech’s instant flu protection
4 October 2007
Aitua Ltd (“Aitua”), the life science IP commercialisation company, today announces that it has invested £50,000 in ViraBiotech Limited (“ViraBiotech”), a company focused on the commercialisation of groundbreaking research by Professor Nigel Dimmock at the University of Warwick which provides a totally new approach to combating flu viruses. Aitua’s investment is supported by a further investment of £50,000 made by the Spinner Matched Investment Fund (“Spinner”), a partnership between University of Warwick and other universities in the West Midlands dedicated to supporting university spin-outs. The funding will be used to undertake further key experiments, and establish a world-class management team to progress ViraBiotech’s lead programme, “Protecting Flu”.
Existing vaccination methods depend on stimulating the body's immune system, so that white blood cells produce antibodies that attach to the surface of the virus and start the process of killing it. This works well for many diseases, such as smallpox, polio and measles, but is much less effective with influenza, as the coat of the flu virus is continually changing. Vaccination against one strain of flu, for instance H3N2, is totally ineffective against another, such as H5N1. This is especially problematic when a new pandemic strain emerges, as all existing vaccines are likely to be totally ineffective. ViraBiotech’s “Protecting Flu” offers instant protection against the full range of influenza A infections and converts an invading flu infection into an effective vaccine.
Professor Dimmock has spent more than two decades investigating an entirely new approach that uses a “protecting virus”. This has been demonstrated in the laboratory where it has been given up to six weeks prior to infection, and has been shown to provide instant protection against all flu symptoms, and to slow the development of an influenza infection to such an extent that harmful infections are transformed into a harmless vaccine against that form of influenza. Laboratory results also indicate that “Protecting Flu” protects when given up to 24 hours after infection, and thus is able to counter an ongoing infection. It could therefore also be used instead of, or alongside, antiviral drugs as a treatment for direct contacts of infected individuals.
Commenting on the investment, Professor Dimmock said, “The investments made by Aitua and Spinner are fundamental in the growth of ViraBiotech. We are now well positioned to further develop our virus technology and move towards commercialisation.”
Dr Catherine Beech, CEO of Aitua, said: “We were delighted when Warwick Ventures and Professor Dimmock, of the University of Warwick, invited Aitua to work with them to progress the development and commercialisation of ‘Protecting Flu’. Given current global concerns about a possible flu pandemic, ViraBiotech’s ‘Protecting Flu’ addresses a real medical need.”