AIS Biotech aims to bring about a paradigm shift in the fight against infectious diseases by offering a new alternative for the prevention and treatment of infections.

By developing a new class of innovative biomedicines—anti-infective sugar-based decoys—AIS Biotech hopes to contribute to the ongoing fight against infectious diseases and antibiotic resistance.

Some viruses, such as influenza viruses responsible for seasonal and pandemic flu, MERS-CoV, which is highly pathogenic and endemic in the Middle East, or bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa (nosocomial diseases), bind to complex sugars on the surface of cells as the first step in infection.

Thanks to its innovative approach and its technological platform for the bioproduction of complex sugars, AIS Biotech is developing biomedicines capable of deceiving these pathogens by mimicking their natural targets in order to block infection.

Our innovation is based on a unique process for synthesizing complex sugars, developed by CERMAV, a CNRS laboratory in Grenoble. This production process, the result of 25 years of academic research, is the barrier to entry. It can be industrialized and has a low environmental impact, offering a sustainable alternative to synthetic chemistry.

AIS Biotech, founded in March 2023, is exploiting this technology to develop its first drug candidate for the treatment of influenza and aims to develop, beyond this first molecule, a genuine pipeline of sugar-based anti-infective drug candidates.

Our first “first-in-class” drug candidate, GlycoFlu, targets a major public health problem with significant economic implications: the influenza viruses responsible for human influenza. Solid proof of concept (validated in vitro and in vivo) has already been obtained, and the results demonstrate GlycoFlu’s ability to block viral attachment, significantly reduce infection, and protect the host in reference preclinical models.

These results validate the biological relevance and therapeutic potential of this anti-infective decoy strategy and confirm the technology’s ability to be extended to other priority pathogens.

The ambition now is to accelerate the development of the platform in order to effectively address emerging or re-emerging viruses, as well as the global challenge of antibiotic resistance, by offering targeted, non-toxic therapeutic solutions that bypass the development of resistance.

The pre-acceleration phase with IDCluster will enable AIS Biotech to strengthen its development strategy, structure its technology platform to accelerate the emergence of innovative therapies, and consolidate key scientific and industrial partnerships.

ASTREMIHA Therapeutics is developing a new class of broad-spectrum antivirals, based on fifteen years of academic research. These molecules, QV-based compounds, feature a triple complementary mode of action:

1. Direct inhibition of viral replication, limiting the progression and invasion of infection in the acute phase and thus reducing the formation of viral reservoirs responsible for long-term persistence and reactivation.
2. Modulation of the immune response, helping to regulate the immune response in a beneficial way and limit viro-induced pathophysiological mechanisms, such as apoptosis, chronic inflammatory mechanisms, and persistent immune activation.
3. Elimination of deep viral reservoirs, particularly in the brain and intestines, which are central to chronic infections.

Proof of concept has been established in preclinical models of AIDS, showing a reduction in viral replication in peripheral tissues, accompanied by an improvement in immune response with reduced inflammation. In the SARS-CoV-2 model, these compounds also demonstrated protective antiviral and immunomodulatory activity, suggesting a universal mechanism of action and positioning this family as a new class of antivirals.

These results pave the way for the development of a broad-spectrum therapeutic arsenal to prepare for future pandemics. These may be exacerbated by several identified factors: global warming, intercontinental migration, melting glaciers, and the proliferation of mosquito vectors. In this context, the gradual development of an antiviral platform capable of responding to emerging and re-emerging viruses is a logical continuation of the proof of concept obtained.

The project selected by IDCluster focuses on the development and positioning of QVs compounds in preparation for future pandemics, aiming to have them recognised as a medical countermeasure. This focus is in line with IDCluster’s strategic priorities.

ASTREMIHA is one of the promising projects selected for pre-acceleration. As such, the startup will benefit from the support of IDCluster, as well as the assistance and network mobilized to strengthen the scientific, strategic, and operational structure of the project. This pre-acceleration forms the basis of the work to be undertaken in January, with a view to possible acceleration and an application for France 2030 public funding.