From Research to Therapies: Collaboration with ViroStatics and Genetic Immunity
RIGHT is an internationally recognized leader in both the immunologic and therapeutic fields of research into the treatment of HIV/AIDS and other chronic conditions.
Small Molecule Research: the ViroStatics Collaboration
RIGHT has shown how combining new understandings in the pathogenesis of viral diseases with a targeted modulation of the immune system holds promise to not only reduce replicating virus, but to also preserve valuable T cell function over an individual's lifetime of therapy. Beginning with a series of successful academic Phase II trials of the combination of hydroxyurea (hydroxycarbamide) and didanosine conducted by RIGHT in the 1990s, RIGHT’s innovative approach has resulted in the discovery of a new class of antiviral agents, now known as Anti-Viral Hyper-Activation Limiting Therapeutics (AV-HALTs).
To further accelerate the discovery and development of AV-HALTs, RIGHT spun off ViroStatics srl as a for-profit company in 2005. From ViroStatics’ beginnings as a company working primarily in the HIV/AIDS space, the Company has now begun to apply these learnings to other chronic infections, as well as the advancement of their innovative biomarkers and immunological assays for personalized medicine.
Therapeutic Immunization Research and Development: the Genetic Immunity Collaboration
From its inception, RIGHT has been devoted to the discovery and development of novel vaccines that combine the latest learnings in the workings of the human immune system with innovative plasmid DNA designs and state-of-the-art nanomedicine delivery systems.
Since 1998, RIGHT has been partnering with its for-profit spin off, Genetic Immunity, in the research and development of the DermaVir therapeutic immunization for HIV/AIDS. The collaboration led to an NIH grant for RIGHT to investigate the adjuvant use of cytokines with Dermavir. The successful research alliance has driven the progress of DermaVir into the Phase II clinical program being undertaken by Genetic Immunity as well as the development of innovative laboratory analyses to document the efficacy of therapeutic immunizations.
Diagnostics
RIGHT is also developing state-of-the-art immunologic technologies to be used in both research and clinical diagnostics. RIGHT’s innovative approaches are designed to allow for improved monitoring of patient care, enhanced documentation of the immune system’s response to HIV vaccines and other therapies, and the rapid and efficient screening of second-generation AV-HALTs in the laboratory.
