Vaccines and therapies to prevent and treat Norovirus infections do not exist, despite the worldwide prevalence of Norovirus infections. Outbreaks of human gastroenteritis attributable to Norovirus commonly occur in group setting, such as hospitals, nursing homes, schools, dormitories, cruise ships and military barracks. This technology relates to chimpanzee-human chimeric monoclonal antibodies, which specifically bind to Norovirus and have therapeutic potential. The antibodies that were tested in a primate model of infection have shown protection against Norovirus. These Norovirus antibodies may have application as immunoprophylaxis to protect individuals from infections or as a possible treatment for infected individuals, or can be used to develop a diagnostic for detection of norovirus infections.
Potential Commercial Applications:
• Therapeutics
• Vaccine
• Diagnostics
Competitive Advantages:
• First-in-class as there are no existing vaccines or therapeutics against Norovirus infections
Publications:
Chen Z, et al . , Development of Norwalk virus-specific monoclonal antibodies with therapeutic potential for the treatment of Norwalk virus gastroenteritis, J Virol. 2013 Sep; 87(17):9547-57. [PMID 23785216].