April 2020
Ascenion GmbH and Innovationsstarter Fonds Hamburg GmbH have acquired shares in PROVIREX
Researchers from Hamburg are planning to use a new gene and cell method to improve the treatment of HIV patients in the future. Under the umbrella of the Hamburg biotech start-up “PROVIREX”, they are developing a new therapeutic approach that uses so-called gene scissors to cut out the blueprint of the AIDS pathogen HIV from the genome of the infected cell and eliminate the virus. This approach could for the first time succeed in removing the virus instead of keeping it in check, as is common with previous forms of treatment. Ascenion GmbH and Innovationsstarter Fonds Hamburg GmbH have acquired shares in the newly founded company PROVIREX. The Start-up will drive the further development of the Brec1 technology, especially with regard to simplified and direct forms of application. Original press release
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March 2020
PROVIREX Genome Editing Therapies GmbH and Pantherna Therapeutics GmbH are developing lipid-based delivery systems for mRNA-directed genome editing of lymphocytes for the treatment of HIV and other life-threatening persistent viral diseases.
PROVIREX and Pantherna Therapeutics have entered into a research collaboration. Based on Pantherna’s proprietary PTXxLNP delivery technology both parties will develop and evaluate novel lipid-based mRNA formulations for the transfection of CD4+ lymphocytes. PTXxLNP is a promising candidate for the non-viral delivery of PROVIREX’s proprietary antiviral genome editing tool Brec1.
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November 2019
PROVIREX’s proprietary Brec1 technology is currently entering clinical testing as a first-in-human phase Ib/IIa clinical trial (HIVcure) aiming to remove HIV-1 from infected subjects using gene editing of the patient’s peripheral blood (hematopoietic) stem cells. HIVcure is being carried out at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) in collaboration with the Leibniz Institute for Virology (LIV, former HPI). Original press release
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November 2019
Company foundation of PROVIREX Genome Editing Therapies GmbH