AVI signs dengue biodefense agreement

The collaboration is part of a cooperative R&D agreement (CRADA) established with the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) as part of AVI’s ongoing efforts in biodefense with the chemical and biological defense program of the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

“Our previous work with the Department of Defense and its experience with our Neugene technology led to the establishment of this formal relationship to pursue testing of our compounds against additional infectious agents,” said Dr Patrick Iversen, senior vice president of R&D at AVI. “We look forward to this collaboration, as it gives us yet another opportunity to expand the scope of application for our antisense technology.”

AVI believes its Neugene antisense “rapid response therapeutics” have a significant role to play in the future of antiviral therapeutics. Neugenes are synthetic compounds that mirror a critical portion of a disease-causing organism’s genetic code and bind to specific portions of the target genetic sequence. Neugene antisense compounds are designed to match up precisely with a specific gene or viral sequence, blocking the function of the target gene or virus.