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 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.

Since 2015, the Glòria Soler Foundation has supported HTI vaccine research with IrsiCaixa and AELIX, and which now culminates in the acquisition by Gilead Sciencies.

Access the IrsiCaixa press release