The license has resulted from the success of Altor’s collaboration established in 2004 with Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Partners AIDS Research Center at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). Altor has already successfully improved and converted the licensed T-cell receptors (TCRs) into targeted therapeutic reagents using its Soluble T-cell Antigen Receptor (STAR) technology.
Hing Wong, president and CEO of Altor, said: “The receptors we have licensed were discovered and characterized by Bruce Walker, one of the foremost authorities on viral antigen expression and T-cell immune responses in HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients.
“We are excited to have the opportunity to add these targeting molecules to our STAR program and look forward to taking an anti-HIV and anti-HCV drug candidate into the clinic. The specific targeting to HIV-infected cells makes it possible for the first time to eliminate latent viral reservoirs, which cannot be achieved with currently available treatments.”