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BioVersys and Partners from Lille Sign Long-term Collaboration Agreement Creating a Unique Cross-Border AMR Cluster in Antimicrobial Research Excellence

Basel, Switzerland, July 14th, 2020. 09:00 CEST

BioVersys and partners, the Institut Pasteur de Lille and the University of Lille, from Région Hauts-de-France, sign a long-term collaboration agreement creating a unique cross-border cluster of research excellence focused on unmet medical needs in antimicrobial resistance.

BioVersys continues to strengthen ties with two institutes of scientific excellence, the Institut Pasteur de Lille and the University of Lille, with whom we already enjoy a long-standing and fruitful collaboration. Our collaboration has already resulted in a therapeutic compound for tuberculosis that will enter clinical development in 2H 2020, in collaboration with GSK.

The new public-private joint laboratory called “State-of-the-art Medicines to Abort ResisTance joint research laboratory” “SMART-Lab”, funded by FEDER and I-SITE ULNE, builds on the strengths of the collaboration on tuberculosis, to develop new drug discovery programs to address the unmet medical need related to hospital and community acquired infections from high priority Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. SMART-Lab encompasses three research groups, namely those of Prof. Nicolas Willand (INSERM U1177, Drugs and Molecules for Living Systems), Dr. Alain Baulard and Dr. Ruben Hartkoorn (Center of Infection and Immunity of Lille, INSERM U1019 – CNRS UMR8204) at the academic institutions, and BioVersys SAS, a subsidiary of the Swiss biotech BioVersys AG. This creates a unique cross-border AMR Cluster in Antimicrobial Research Excellence (AMR-CARE).

Dr. Marc Gitzinger, CEO and co-founder of BioVersys: “This collaboration is a sign of strength of cross-border innovation within Europe that addresses antimicrobial resistance (AMR) through applying excellence in science and development. In times of the current COVID-19 viral pandemic, it is crucial that we do not forget that the next burgeoning infectious disease killer right at our doorstep is likely to be in the form of AMR. We must rapidly develop truly novel solutions to meet this increasingly urgent challenge. BioVersys, with its talented partners, is determined to make a difference in AMR patient care worldwide by delivering novel therapeutic treatment options that will deliver better patient outcomes.” […]

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