Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) and LifeArc are partnering to launch a new Translational Development Fund to help tackle infectious diseases.
LifeArc will invest £2.7 ($3.4) million into the fund, which will support the progression of new technologies and treatments for emerging viral threats and neglected tropical diseases.
The fund will be available to LSTM and iiCON partners and their collaborators, including research organisations in low- and middle- income countries (LMICs), and will have a focus on supporting interventions that are appropriately aligned with deployment and treatment of patients in LMICs.
LifeArc will also join the LSTM-led Infection Innovation Consortium iiCON, making its platform to progress antibody-based treatments available to partners.
iiCON is a consortium led by LSTM with core partners including LifeArc, Unilever, Evotec, Liverpool University Hospitals Foundation Trust, University of Liverpool, and Infex Therapeutics. The programme brings together industry, academia, and clinicians to accelerate the discovery, development and deployment of new treatments and innovations.
Infectious diseases currently cause millions of deaths globally each year with the impact expected to worsen due to factors such as climate change, migration and intensive farming.
Professor David Lalloo, Director of Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine said: “This Translational Development Fund will not only help us to tackle the true diseases of poverty that impact the lives of some of the world’s poorest communities, but also allow us to prepare for the emerging threats of the future.
“This partnership between LSTM, LifeArc and iiCON will provide a number of significant opportunities for businesses, researchers and clinicians working in the antibody humanisation space and beyond. Facilitating access to advanced capabilities and new collaborations in this way will be a real boost to getting new therapies to market by helping overcome development obstacles and unlocking the potential of new innovations.”
Edited by Diana Spencer, Senior Digital Content Editor, Drug Discovery World
