• • AiCuris’ AiCubator program provides first-hand support for early research projects of young start-ups and academic teams that work on innovative treatment options for viral infections in immunocompromised patients.
  • Winning projects will be awarded the AiCubator Resident Status and benefit from AiCuris’ scientific know-how, its proven drug development expertise, and its extensive network in the life science industry.
  • The fourth AiCubator application round starts on October 1^st and will end on December 31^st, 2023.

Wuppertal, Germany, September 28, 2023 – AiCuris Anti-infective Cures AG, a leading clinical-stage pharmaceutical company developing novel, therapeutic candidates for the prevention and treatment of severe and potentially life-threatening infectious diseases in immunocompromised patients, announced today the opening of the fourth round of its corporate innovation accelerator initiative AiCubator.

AiCuris’ AiCubator provides first-hand support for early research projects with a focus on innovative treatment options for viral infections in immunocompromised patients. Winning programs will benefit from the scientific know-how and drug development expertise of AiCuris over a period of up to three years. As part of the innovation accelerator initiative, AiCubator residents will learn how to transform their projects into new products, get assistance in developing a clear strategy and timeline, as well as putting together a convincing presentation of existing results. The AiCubator program supports its residents on important components to accelerate achievements, boost future fundraising success and licensing opportunities. In addition, academic teams or start-ups awarded the AiCubator Resident Status will get access to AiCuris’ extensive international network of renowned scientific partners, associations, and service providers, as well as other leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

Interested parties can apply to the AiCubator program by filling in the AiCubator standard application form, describing the project, its status and development plans. Further information on the accelerator initiative can be found on the AiCuris AiCubator website.

“At AiCuris, we are highly committed to support innovative approaches for new anti-infectives that really can make a difference for immunocompromised patients in urgent need of an efficient treatment option. The work of our latest winner, the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, to advance a small molecule inhibitor against BKV-induced infections is just one example of the many exciting early projects out there based on new scientific principles that address exactly this field,” said Dr. Holger Zimmermann, Chief Research and Development Officer at AiCuris Anti-infective Cures AG. “We are very proud to provide our residents the necessary experience and environment to accelerate their programs to the next stage with our AiCubator initiative. I am very much looking forward to all submitted projects that potentially can change patients’ lives during this fourth application round of our corporate incubator.”

Academic groups at a research university or institute or biotech start-ups at the beginning of their journey that are working on drug discovery projects for the treatment of viral infections, such as BK virus, adenovirus and other viruses that are severe and potentially life-threatening for immunocompromised patients are invited to apply to the AiCubator program.

Submitted projects will be evaluated by AiCuris experts based on various criteria, including status, preliminary efficacy data, as well as indications addressed and potential competitive advantages over existing standard of care. AiCuris selects projects that are scientifically attractive but too early stage for licensing deals to join the program as residents.

AiCubator 2024 call – Important dates and deadlines:

About AiCubator

To promote early ideas that might lead to novel treatments of viral infections in immunocompromised patients, each year, AiCuris selects promising research projects for the AiCubator, an innovative corporate incubator. The AiCubator initiative is dedicated to academic scientific groups or recently formed biotech start-ups with early-stage anti-infective projects in areas of high priority that are scientifically attractive but too early for licensing deals. The program was designed to help scientists and start-ups build their own business and grow their underlying ideas and approaches to an advanced level. Residents of the AiCubator program receive long-term first-hand support, including, business development as well as scientific and regulatory advice. Additionally, they gain insight into anti-infective drug development and the pharmaceutical business.

The next round to apply for AiCubator will start this October. Interested research groups and young start-ups with early-stage projects in the field of anti-infectives can find further information and download the relevant application forms from the company’s AiCubator website.

For more information on AiCubator visit: www.aicuris.com/AiCubator.
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About AiCuris Anti-infective Cures AG 

AiCuris aims to discover, develop, and deliver innovative, anti-viral drugs to immunocompromised patients to prevent severe condition and life-threatening diseases.

The company has developed a commercial drug as well as pipeline of clinical-stage and pre-clinical anti-viral candidates. Its lead product PREVYMIS® (letermovir), a first-in-class non-nucleoside cytomegalovirus (CMV) inhibitor, was licensed to MSD and is commercialized for the prevention of human CMV infections in immunocompromised patients who underwent an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation or kidney transplantation. AiCuris’ wholly owned product candidate, Pritelivir, targeting resistant herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections in immunocompromised patients, is in phase 3 clinical development. Therapeutic candidates for the treatment of other virus infections such as BK virus and adenovirus are in earlier stages of development.

AiCuris is supported by a strong shareholder base, including lead investor SANTO Holding.  

For more information, please visit www.aicuris.com.
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