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Beatriz Mothe, Anuska Llano and Christian Brander. Photo / IrsiCaixa.
 25.11.2024

Gilead acquires investigational assets for the HIV vaccine from AELIX Therapeutics

Aelix Therapeutics, a spin off company from IrsiCaixa, based in the Barcelona Science Park and specializing in the discovery and development of immunotherapies to treat HIV infection, announced today the acquisition of its investigational assets related to the HTI therapeutic HIV vaccine by Gilead Sciences. The HTI immunogen has the potential to become the first immunotherapy to produce a ‘functional cure’ for HIV infection. 

The HTI immunogen, which forms the foundation of this therapeutic vaccine, was designed at IrsiCaixa by researchers Christian Brander, Beatriz Mothe and Anuska Llano as part of the HIVACAT program and the support of the Fundació Glòria Soler. Subsequently, Aelix clinically developed it, achieving promising results in phase 1 and phase 2 clinical trials.

The HTI immunogen was designed to redirect the immune response toward the most vulnerable regions of HIV, a strategic approach aimed at overcoming the limitations of current therapies.

According to Christian Brander, ICREA researcher at IrsiCaixa and CEO and co-founder of Aelix: “We are excited that our HTI T-cell immunogen is now in the hands of an innovative pharmaceutical company like Gilead Sciences, which has the tools and capabilities to further evaluate this asset as part of a potential approach to an HIV cure strategy.”

Thomas Hecht, executive chairman of Aelix, highlights that this agreement will enable further progress toward the development of a transformative strategy against HIV. “We are excited that such a prominent company as Gilead, a leader in HIV treatment, prevention and cure research, has decided to acquire AELIX’s HTI therapeutic HIV vaccine investigational assets. The HTI vaccines have shown promising results in phase 1 and phase 2 clinical trials, and we are eager to see this immunogen move forward through this acquisition and potentially become an important aspect of the search for an HIV cure. We are thankful to our early-stage investors including Ysios Capital, which had the vision to support the development of potential HIV cure strategies.”

» More information: Aelix Therapeutics website [+]