Nona Biosciences and Washington University Join Forces to Tackle Emerging RNA Viruses

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., April 18, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Nona Biosciences, a wholly-owned subsidiary of HBM Holdings Limited, committed to cutting edge technology innovation and provider of integrated solutions from "Idea to IND" (I to I^TM), announced today it has entered into a collaboration agreement with Michael S. Diamond, MD, PhD, of Washington University in St. Louis to discover viral targets for which few or no human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) currently exist, such as western equine encephalitis virus (WEEV), rabies and severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFSTV).

"This collaboration represents an exciting opportunity for Nona Biosciences to leverage its fully human antibody H2L2 transgenic mice, together with the technology and expertise in the development of innovative therapeutics," said Jingsong Wang, MD, PhD, Chairman of Nona Biosciences. "We believe that our collaboration with Dr. Michael S. Diamond's team will lead to breakthroughs in the field of viral therapeutics and ultimately improve patients' lives."

Dr. Michael S. Diamond is a Professor of Medicine, Molecular Microbiology, Pathology & Immunology at Washington University School of Medicine. The Diamond laboratory is renowned for its research on molecular basis of disease of globally emerging RNA viruses and its focus on the interface between pathogenesis and host immunity. Researchers in the lab have already identified many key innate and adaptive immune system components that protect against multiple families of viruses, as well as the viral genes that counteract this response.

"By combining our knowledge and expertise in the biology of emerging pathogens, we believe we can make significant strides in developing treatments for these viruses that have thus far eluded effective therapies," said Dr. Michael S. Diamond.

About Nona Biosciences

Nona Biosciences (a wholly-owned subsidiary of HBM Holdings, HKEX: 02142) is a global biotechnology company committed to cutting edge technology innovation, and providing a total solution from "Idea to IND" ("I to I^TM"), ranging from target validation and antibody discovery through preclinical research. The integrated antibody and antibody-related discovery services with multiple modalities range from antigen preparation, animal immunization, single B cell screening, to antibody lead generation and engineering, developability assessment and pharmacological evaluation, leveraging advantages of Harbour Mice^® platforms and the experienced therapeutic antibody discovery team.

Harbour Mice^® generates fully human monoclonal antibodies in classical two light and two heavy chain (H2L2) format, and heavy chain only (HCAb) formats. Integrating Harbour Mice® and a single B cell cloning platform, Nona Biosciences is focused on driving global inventions of transformative next-generation drugs. For more information, please visit: www.nonabio.com 

SOURCE Nona Biosciences