Aitua invests in ViraBiotech's flu project

Cambridge, UK-based Aitua, a life science intellectual property commercialization firm, has invested L50,000 ($102,170) in ViraBiotech, a company focused on the commercializing groundbreaking research by Nigel Dimmock, a professor at the University of Warwick which provides a totally new approach to combating flu viruses. Aitua's investment is supported by a further investment of L50,000 made by the Spinner Matched Investment Fund, a partnership between the University of Warwick and other universities in the West Midlands dedicated to supporting university spin-outs. The funding will be used to undertake further key experiments, and establish a world-class management team to progress ViraBiotech's lead program, Protecting Flu.

Existing vaccination methods depend on stimulating the body's immune system, so that white blood cells produce antibodies that attach to the surface of the virus and start the process of killing it. This works well for many diseases, such as smallpox, polio and measles, but is much less effective with influenza, as the coat of the flu virus is continually changing. Vaccination against one strain of flu, for instance H3N2, is totally ineffective against another, such as H5N1. This is especially problematic when a new pandemic strain emerges, as all existing vaccnes are likely to be totally ineffective. "Protecting Flu" offers instant protection against the full range of influenza A infections and converts an invading flu infection into an effective vaccine.