Gilead Sciences acquires investigational assets for the HIV vaccine designed at IrsiCaixa and driven by AELIX Therapeutics

AELIX Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company specializing in the discovery and development of immunotherapies to treat HIV infection, based in Barcelona (Catalonia, Spain) and a spin-off of IrsiCaixa, announced today the acquisition of its investigational assets related to the HTI therapeutic HIV vaccine by Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: GILD), headquartered in Foster City (California, USA). This transaction represents a significant step forward in the development of innovative strategies for curing HIV.

The HTI immunogen, which forms the foundation of this therapeutic vaccine, was designed at IrsiCaixa by researchers Christian Brander, Beatriz Mothe and Anuska Llano as part of the HIVACAT program. Subsequently, AELIX clinically developed it, achieving promising results in phase 1 and phase 2 clinical trials.

With the acquisition of these assets, Gilead Sciences, a leader in research for the treatment, prevention, and cure of HIV, advances the development of this immunogen. Thomas Hecht, Executive Chairman of AELIX, highlights that this agreement will enable further progress toward the development of a transformative strategy against HIV. "We are excited that such a prominent company as Gilead, a leader in HIV treatment, prevention and cure research, has decided to acquire AELIX’s HTI therapeutic HIV vaccine investigational assets. The HTI vaccines have shown promising results in phase 1 and phase 2 clinical trials, and we are eager to see this immunogen move forward through this acquisition and potentially become an important aspect of the search for an HIV cure. We are thankful to our early-stage investors including Ysios Capital, which had the vision to support the development of potential HIV cure strategies", Hecht states.

A Scientific approach focused on the virus’s vulnerabilities

The HTI immunogen was designed to redirect the immune response toward the most vulnerable regions of HIV, a strategic approach aimed at overcoming the limitations of current therapies. Christian Brander, ICREA researcher at IrsiCaixa and Chief Scientific Officer and co-founder of AELIX, notes that “seeing how this immunogen is now incorporated into the strategy of such an innovative pharmaceutical company as Gilead Sciences is a major step forward in the search for a possible HIV cure strategy”.

Science and innovation in service of society

At IrsiCaixa, this agreement is celebrated as an example of how collaboration between scientific research and business innovation can transform discoveries into tangible solutions for society.

The work carried out at IrsiCaixa to develop the immunogen was conducted as part of the HIVACAT program, which aimed to develop an HIV vaccine, with the support of the Fundació Glòria Soler.