Qura Therapeutics will develop HIV treatments in partnership with University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a venture in which it is investing $20m.
UK-based pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has agreed to invest $20m in a partnership with University of North Carolina at the Chapel Hill (UNC-Chapel Hill) to find a cure for HIV.
The partnership includes the launch of an HIV Cure centre on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus and the formation of a jointly-owned company, Qura Therapeutics. The research centre, together with GSK, will look to attract partners and public funding, as well as experts from across the world.
A small group of GSK researchers will also move to the HIV Cure centre to collaborate with academic researchers to carry out experiments on the latest approaches to curing HIV. Qura Therapeutics will deal with business side of the partnership.
GSK’s investment in the venture will be structured as $4m of funding per year for five years.
UNC-Chapel Hill is a US-based public research university and one of the first to test the “Shock and Kill” approach to HIV treatments, an approach that seeks to reveal the latent HIV virus before enhancing the immune system so it can clear the infected cells.
GlaxoSmithKline chief executive Andrew Witty said:” This partnership is a testament to our past and present leadership, innovation and commitment to this field. We are inspired by the confidence that with the right resources and research teams, we will be able to make a meaningful impact towards a cure for HIV.”
This article first appeared on our sister site Global Corporate Venturing.
