BioVersys and Université de Lille achieve first milestone in collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline

The collaboration that is funded by the Wellcome Trust utilizes BioVersys’ award-winning innovative TRIC technology to accelerate the discovery of Transcriptional Regulator Inhibitory Compounds. The project, built upon a very long history of research on Transcriptional Regulators in TB in Lille, will advance molecules that hypersensitize the deadly bacteria to established TB therapies. 

The Wellcome Trust is funding the development activities as part of a pre-existing collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) towards finding treatments for diseases largely affecting low-income countries. 

Marc Gitzinger, CEO of BioVersys commented: “We are very pleased that we have achieved the first milestone in our collaboration with GSK. This is a further confirmation of our TRIC technology. We look forward to advancing in the months ahead the final development of a potent tuberculosis treatment, jointly with GSK’s scientists and our colleagues at Université de Lille.” 

Professor Xavier Vandendriessche, President of Université de Lille 2, droit et santé: “This project illustrates how a tight partnership between academic teams and pharmaceutical laboratories can successfully address crucial but neglected medical needs such as innovative therapies against tuberculosis” 

Tuberculosis – a neglected disease, a global threat
Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading cause of death globally from a bacterial infectious disease. It is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis which is present (mostly in a latent form) in nearly two thirds of the world’s population. The disease was believed to be on the decline for many years however, WHO reports show there are nine million new cases of active TB every year, and it is estimated that about 1.6 million people die annually from the disease. Moreover, poor compliance with existing treatments has led to the emergence of drug-resistance, which has been exacerbated by the lack of new treatments in the last 40 years. 

About BioVersys
The Swiss biopharmaceutical company BioVersys focuses on research and development of small molecules, which switch off drug resistance against existing antibiotics. With the company’s award-winning TRIC technology it will be possible to restore the efficacy of established antibiotics. BioVersys addresses the high unmet medical need for new treatments of life-threatening bacterial infections that emerged in recent years due to antibiotic resistance. BioVersys' compounds will be used in combination with existing antibiotics, thereby renewing efficacy as well as intellectual property for the established drug. The current research focus is on Nosocomial Infections (hospital infections) and Tuberculosis. In collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and a consortium of the University of Lille, BioVersys aims to develop an effective treatment against Tuberculosis.