GSK and UNC-Chapel Hill set up new company for HIV research

The USA’s University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UK pharma major GlaxoSmithKline (LSE: GSK) have announced the creation of the dedicated HIV Cure center and a jointly-owned new company that will focus on discovering a cure for HIV/AIDS.

This unique public-private partnership will redefine the traditional way of conducting research and create a new model to seek the breakthroughs needed to tackle an extraordinarily challenging global health issue.

The HIV Cure center will be located on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus and will focus exclusively on finding a cure for HIV/AIDS. The new company, named Qura Therapeutics, will handle the business side of the partnership, including intellectual property, commercialization, manufacturing and governance. Together, the HIV Cure center and Qura Therapeutics will serve as a catalyst for additional partners and public funding that will likely be needed to eradicate HIV worldwide. The collaboration is also expected to recruit and attract top talent from around the world.