This collaboration will be the second HIV-related collaboration between Benitec and City of Hope. It will be funded through phase I clinical trials by a portion of a $7.5 million federal grant, awarded to City of Hope by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the NIH.
Collaborators with City of Hope on the grant include the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, University of Pennsylvania, University of Washington and Colorado State University. Benitec plans to develop the key quantitative assays to support the regulatory submissions for this program in 2006.
The T-cell therapy collaboration will strengthen the continuing work between Benitec and City of Hope to develop novel AIDS therapies and will build on findings from their ongoing research to treat AIDS lymphoma. This new collaboration is intended to examine the safety and efficacy of RNA immunotherapy in patients for whom highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) has not succeeded.
“City of Hope has a leading reputation for both HIV research and stem cell therapies and brings a comprehensive suite of clinical trial capabilities to the table,” commented Sara Cunningham, CEO of Benitec. “This work is intended to extend our efforts to develop novel RNA-based treatments for AIDS patients that provide better and safer alternatives to HAART.”