Nelson biotech start-up Kimer Med has been awarded a $150k grant to continue its ground-breaking research into antiviral protein development.
Kimer Med was successful in the 2021-22 funding round from Callaghan Innovation, receiving the project grant which will reimburse $150,000 of its eligible research and development costs over the next two years.
The research and development company’s vision is the end of viral disease in humans, pets and livestock.
They are currently working on developing the antiviral protein.
Kimer Med co-founder and chief executive, Rick Kiessig, said he was thrilled to receive the Callaghan Grant.
“Antiviral drugs will be increasingly important to treat the vast range of viral disease that affects humans and animals.
“As we’ve seen recently with Covid-19, viruses tend to mutate and eventually evade vaccines, which is why a broad-spectrum antiviral that can effectively and safely treat viral infection is so important.”
The company says viruses such as Influenza, HIV, Dengue, Hepatitis and SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) cause widespread illness and death and inflict enormous harm on human health and economies worldwide.
Nelson-based Kimer Med is developing a broad-spectrum antiviral medication which has shown the potential to treat a wide range of viral diseases.
The inspiration for the company’s formation came from research originally carried out at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) by Dr Todd Rider and others.
Dr Rider’s ground-breaking work was originally published in a 2011 paper in PLoS ONE called ‘Broad-Spectrum Antiviral Therapeutics’.
In it he demonstrated a recombinant protein that was effective against 15 different viruses in 11 tissue types in vitro, and against Influenza H1N1 in mice.
“Kimer Med has signed an exclusive license with MIT, allowing us to pick up and continue with the antiviral work that Rider and his team began,” Rick says.
“Our current focus is on testing and refining the structure and fabrication of the antiviral protein compound, called VTose®, with the goal of carrying this innovation through to clinical trials.”
He says the support of Callaghan Innovation will help the company accelerate their R&D efforts and tackle a number of experiments with greater breadth and depth than they might otherwise be able to.”
Callaghan Innovation is New Zealand’s innovation agency. It activates innovation, accelerates commercialisation and helps businesses grow faster for a better New Zealand.
The 2021-22 Project Grant supports R&D by co-funding eligible spending up to a cap of $150,000.
