- The Laboratory for Virology and Experimental Chemotherapy (Rega Institute) and the "Centre for Drug Design and Discovery" (CD3) at K.U.Leuven will receive a total of 2.8 million euro from the British Wellcome Trust.
- They will apply these funds to the search for possible new medication for the treatment of infections related to the 'dengue fever virus'. Dengue or 'breakbone fever' is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions. As of yet, there is neither a vaccine nor any form of treatment for this disease.
- The findings of the researchers in Leuven will be developed further into medication, in co-operation with the pharmaceutical industry.
- The Wellcome Trust is the largest independent fund for biomedical research in the United Kingdom. This is the first time that the fund is financing technology transfer on the European continent.
The Wellcome Trust spends over 600 million pounds each year to support its mission to foster and promote research with the aim to improving human and animal health. This funding supports basic research as well as technology transfer, the transfer of academic knowledge and technology to the corporate environment. The funding announced today comes through the Trust's Seeding Drug Discovery Initiative, a £91M fund aimed at developing new drugs to address areas of unmet medical need.
The "Centre for Drug Design and Discovery" (CD3), directed by Dr. Patrick Chaltin, specialises in the discovery of new medications, always in co-operation with academic research groups or small biotech companies. CD3 was founded by K.U.Leuven Research & Development (LRD) in 2006, in partnership with the European Investment Fund (EIF). In the past 3 years, CD3 has established and contributed to approximately 20 projects searching for molecules that may constitute the foundation for new therapies for various diseases, such as AIDS, cancer and Alzheimer's. CD3 ensures that fundamental research is converted into usable results that may be licensed by companies.
The research into dengue, a virus for which there is no vaccine or treatment, is led by Prof. Johan Neyts of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the Rega Institute at K.U.Leuven. The Rega Institute specialises particularly in antiviral research. Medications discovered at the Rega Institute are currently successfully administered for the treatment of, for example, AIDS, viral hepatitis and infections related to herpes viruses.
Dengue or breakbone fever
Breakbone or dengue fever is a viral disease prevalent in the tropics and subtropics. The World Health Organisation estimates that approximately 50 to 100 million people are infected with the virus every year. In approximately half a million cases the disease takes on a life threatening form: sufferers develop bleeding or go into shock. Children are especially sensitive to the virus and as a result the majority of victims are children. The number of cases has increased very rapidly in recent years.
Currently, the only way to counteract the spread of dengue is to exterminate the mosquitoes that carry the virus. Since no vaccines exist, it is of the utmost importance to develop medications for the treatment of dengue, including preventive medication (as has also been done in the case of malaria, for example).
For more information, please contact:
- Dr. Patrick Chaltin of CD3 on telephone number 016 32 65 23 or via e-mail: patrick.chaltin@lrd.kuleuven.be
- Prof. Johan Neyts of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology on telephone number 016 33 73 67 or via e-mail: johan.neyts@rega.kuleuven.be.
About the Wellcome Trust The Wellcome Trust is the largest charity in the UK. It funds innovative biomedical research, in the UK and internationally, spending over £600 million each year to support the brightest scientists with the best ideas. The Wellcome Trust supports public debate about biomedical research and its impact on health and wellbeing. http://www.wellcome.ac.uk
Seeding Drug Discovery is a five-year, £91 million initiative that aims to develop drug-like, small molecules that will be the springboard for further research and development by the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry in areas of unmet medical need.