A-Alpha Bio Announces Collaboration With Gilead to Advance Next-Generation HIV Therapeutic Options

A-Alpha Bio, a synthetic biology and machine learning company that measures and engineers protein-protein interactions announced a collaboration with Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Gilead) that aims to advance the design of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) therapies. A-Alpha Bio will leverage its platforms to characterize binding affinities between potential therapeutic proteins and various viral protein variants that Gilead may incorporate into potential future long-acting combination HIV therapy options.

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Under the collaboration, A-Alpha will apply its synthetic biology platform, AlphaSeq, to assess millions of interactions between potential therapeutic moieties and viral protein variants. The data generated by AlphaSeq will inform their machine learning (ML) platform, AlphaBind, to predict proteins that offer enhanced binding breadth and resistance to viral escape. As part of the collaboration, A-Alpha Bio will receive upfront and near-term success payments and will be eligible for development milestones and royalties if Gilead exercises its option to license novel proteins identified by A-Alpha.

HIV remains a global epidemic despite monumental scientific advances. The urgent nature of the epidemic has led to the development and implementation of therapeutics targeting all phases of the viral life cycle. Research and innovation that focuses on the development of novel HIV therapeutics will have the most significant public health impact in expanding options for all people affected by HIV.

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A-Alpha Bio, the protein-protein interaction company, is uniquely suited to discover and optimize biologics with challenging binding requirements, such as broad cross-reactivity. This advantage stems from their ability to measure protein-protein interactions at a library-on-library scale with their AlphaSeq platform and their ability to explore an enormous sequence space computationally with their AlphaBind platform. “We are excited to collaborate with Gilead to advance the next generation of HIV therapies, drawing on our expertise in discovering and optimizing highly cross-reactive biologics,” said David Younger, CEO and Co-founder of A-Alpha Bio. “Gilead is a leading innovator in the field of HIV, driving advances in treatment, prevention and cure research for more than three decades. We are confident that the insights we aim to provide through our platforms will support Gilead’s continuous pursuit of scientific discovery to provide solutions for the evolving needs of people affected by HIV around the world.”

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