Source: aicep Portugal global

Immunethep, a biotechnology company based in Cantanhede, Portugal, announced it has entered into a research collaboration with MSD, a tradename of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ USA.

The goal of the research is to evaluate bacterial glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) as a suitable virulence factor in developing potential immunotherapies for the treatment and/or prevention of bacterial infections.

Immunethep has developed a new strategy to target antimicrobial resistance (AMR) – the Paragon Novel Vaccine (PNV). PNV is a peptide-based candidate vaccine that is designed to elicit bacterial GAPDH-specific blocking antibodies to protect the host from infection. Immunethep is also investigating the potential for antibacterial GAPDH antibodies (UnimAb) to treat bacteria in cases of acute infection, in which an immediate response is required.

Immunethep’s proprietary technology, the GAPDH virulence platform, is the basis for the potential creation of immunotherapies to prevent and treat bacterial infections from some of the most pathogenic bacteria. MSD will provide research funding to evaluate the GAPDH virulence mechanism in humans leading the way to further develop therapies for bacterial infections.