Genzyme and MMV sign new collaboration with Advinus Therapeutics

The collaboration seeks to develop new, improved treatments for specific patient groups most at risk for malaria, an often fatal infectious disease of developing countries, particularly affecting pregnant women and infants.

The collaboration will focus on identifying new molecules effective at fighting malaria, from early-stage screening to the first steps of preclinical assessment. One important aim is to develop therapies to address the danger of emerging drug resistance that current antimalarial treatments increasingly face.

The ongoing Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) and Genzyme partnership also includes The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. The team has begun to identify promising lead candidates, coming out of its innovative platform for high-throughput screening of several compound libraries.

Among the kinds of compounds to be optimized, with the help of Advinus, are those active against key target enzymes that are essential for the survival of the malaria parasite.

Henri Termeer, chairman and CEO of Genzyme, said: “By bringing together the commitment of MMV with the drug discovery expertise of Genzyme and Advinus, we can turn the promise of science into meaningful and sustainable therapies for populations most at risk in India and around the world.”