Globavir Announces Partnership with SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre to Study Dengue Treatment

LOS ALTOS, Calif., Dec. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Globavir Biosciences, Inc., a biotechnology company developing therapeutics and diagnostics for infectious diseases, announced a partnership with the SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre (AMC) in Singapore, through its newly established Viral Research and Experimental Medicine Centre (ViREMiCS), to conduct research for the treatment of dengue and chikungunya.

The partnership is the result of a July 2017 Memorandum of Understanding that aims to complete the initial evaluation and clinical evaluation – with the objective of gaining approval – for Globavir's proprietary compound, GBV 006, in Singapore.

Under the terms of the collaboration agreement, ViREMiCS will coordinate the potential dengue clinical trial in Singapore and further research and development efforts for Globavir's drug in the treatment of chikungunya.

GBV 006 is a combination of two orally available small molecule drugs, and has been evaluated and tested extensively in pre-clinical studies for treatment of dengue and other viral illnesses. GBV 006 is developed based on research done at Stanford University, and Globavir has an exclusive worldwide rights to the intellectual property covering GBV 006.

"Dengue remains a significant healthcare problem in many parts of the world, and there is still no treatment available," said Globavir CEO Dr. Shalabh Gupta. "Our partnership with the SingHealth Duke-NUS AMC gives us the opportunity to run clinical trials in an organization that has expertise in running clinical trials for dengue as well as the infrastructure to recruit and monitor these patients, not just for initial trials but also for late stage clinical trials."

The SingHealth Duke-NUS AMC has been actively involved in research on dengue, with the SingHealth Investigational Medicine Unit and institutions such as the Singapore General Hospital and Duke-NUS Medical School (Duke-NUS) studying and conducting clinical trials for the condition. Previously, a team from Duke-NUS' Emerging Infectious Disease Programme uncovered the mechanism that dengue virus uses to circumvent the immune system, which causes a more serious infection when an individual is infected with a different strain of dengue.

About Dengue

Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection that causes flu-like illness that can develop into a potentially lethal complication called severe dengue. According to the World Health Organization, the global incidence of dengue has grown dramatically in recent decades, with about half of the world's population now at risk. Driven by increased travel of asymptomatic patients and the global spread of the disease-carrying mosquito, a recent report estimates that dengue infection affects approximately 390 million patients worldwide, with nearly 100 millions of these cases manifesting with consequences ranging from the painful and debilitating dengue fever to severe dengue. Dengue is endemic in more than 100 countries in the WHO regions of Africa, the Americas, the Eastern Mediterranean, South-East Asia and the Western Pacific. There is no specific treatment for dengue or severe dengue, which can be fatal in some cases. 

About Globavir

Globavir Biosciences is a biotechnology company developing life-saving technologies for the treatment of infectious diseases. Globavir is developing powerful combination drug therapies and diagnostic tests for the treatment of dengue fever. Globavir, based in Los Altos, California, USA, has rights to develop and commercialize a dengue diagnostic test platform developed at Stanford University. Globavir's diagnostic kits have received CE-mark approval and are currently being marketed globally. The company has the leading molecular diagnostic test to detect dengue infection as well as a platform for other virus detection tests.

About Singapore Health Services (SingHealth)

The SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre draws on the collective strengths of SingHealth and Duke-NUS Medical School to drive the transformation of healthcare and provide affordable, accessible, quality healthcare. With over 40 clinical specialties, a network of acute hospitals, national specialty centres, polyclinics and community hospitals, it delivers comprehensive, multi-disciplinary and integrated care. In 2018, the Sengkang General Hospital and Sengkang Community Hospital will be completed to serve the community in the north-east of Singapore. To enhance community care, the new Outram Community Hospital on SGH Campus will be completed in 2020.

For more information, please visit: www.singhealth.com.sg.

Members of the SingHealth group

Hospitals (Tertiary Specialty Care):
Singapore General Hospital, Changi General Hospital, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Sengkang General Hospital (expected completion: 2018)

National Specialty Centres (Tertiary Specialty Care):
National Cancer Centre Singapore, National Dental Centre Singapore, National Heart Centre Singapore, National Neuroscience Institute, and Singapore National Eye Centre

SingHealth Polyclinics (Primary Care):
Bedok, Bukit Merah, Marine Parade, Outram, Pasir Ris, Punggol, Sengkang, and Tampines

SingHealth Community Hospitals (Intermediate and Long-term Care):
Bright Vision Hospital, Sengkang Community Hospital (expected completion: 2018), Outram Community Hospital (expected completion: 2020)

About Duke-NUS Medical School Singapore

The Duke-NUS Medical School (Duke-NUS, 杜克 － 新加坡国立大学医学院) was established in 2005 as a strategic collaboration between the Duke University School of Medicine, North Carolina, USA, and the National University of Singapore (NUS). Duke-NUS offers a graduate-entry, four-year MD (Doctor of Medicine) training programme, anchored on an innovative model of self-directed learning. The School also offers MD/PhD and PhD programmes.

Duke-NUS has five Signature Research Programmes: Cancer and Stem Cell Biology, Neuroscience and Behavioural Disorders, Emerging Infectious Diseases, Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disorders, and Health Services and Systems Research.

The collaboration between Duke-NUS and Singapore Health Services (SingHealth) has established an Academic Medical Centre to advance our joint pursuits in clinical care, research and education to transform medicine and improve lives.

For more information, please visit www.duke-nus.edu.sg.

SOURCE Globavir Biosciences, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.globavir.com