Friday, 29 March 2024


GSK and Vir Biotech search for coronavirus solutions

07 April 2020 | News

To gain access to Vir’s technology, GSK will make an equity investment in Vir of $250 million

Image credit- shuttershock.com

Image credit- shuttershock.com

UK headquartered GlaxoSmithKline plc (GSK) and US based Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (VIR) have announced they have signed a binding agreement to enter into a collaboration to research and develop solutions for coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

The collaboration will use Vir’s proprietary monoclonal antibody platform technology to accelerate existing and identify new anti-viral antibodies that could be used as therapeutic or preventative options to help address the current COVID-19 pandemic and future outbreaks.

The companies will leverage GSK’s expertise in functional genomics and combine their capabilities in CRISPR screening and artificial intelligence to identify anti-coronavirus compounds that target cellular host genes. They will also apply their combined expertise to research SARS-CoV-2 and other coronavirus vaccines.

Due to the urgent patient need for COVID-19 solutions, the initial focus of the collaboration will be to accelerate the development of specific antibody candidates identified by the Vir platform, VIR-7831 and VIR-7832, that have demonstrated high affinity for the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and are highly potent in neutralising SARS-CoV-2 in live virus-cellular assays. Subject to regulatory review, the companies plan to proceed directly into a phase 2 clinical trial within the next three to five months.

The collaboration will also utilise Vir’s CRISPR screening and machine learning approach to identify cellular targets whose inhibition can prevent viral infection. Vir has identified multiple potential targets against flu and other respiratory pathogens, as well as hepatitis B virus, and will now focus on SARS-CoV-2.

Additionally, the companies have also agreed to conduct research into SARS-CoV-2 and other coronavirus vaccines by coupling GSK’s vaccines technologies and expertise with Vir’s ability to identify neutralising epitopes that are present across entire viral families. These efforts will be additive to other initiatives GSK is advancing to develop a potential vaccine for COVID-19.

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