It may not seem like it when you look around but the pandemic is still not over.
While all variants are not built the same, so far, coronavirus has been successful in repeatedly infecting the world, first with alpha, then delta and eventually the omicron variant.
At the beginning of the year, there was hardly any sector in the U.S. that had not been impacted by the spread of the contagious omicron strain.
The rise in infections derailed corporate America's carefully drafted, triumphant return-to-the-office plans.
In recent weeks, an easily transmitted version of the omicron coronavirus variant known as BA.2 or "stealth omicron" has become a cause for concern. The new variant represents a growing share of Covid-19 cases in the U.S.
As the virus plans its next move, scientists and healthcare companies are hoping to address a major unmet medical need for effective therapeutic and preventive agents, against the rapidly evolving Covid-19 variants, to stay ahead of the next blow lurking in the corner.
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Staying Ahead of Hidden Covid Variants
A new Boston-based biotech startup Aerium Therapeutics, backed by venture capital firm Omega Funds is developing new monoclonal antibodies and antiviral treatments against SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes Covid-19) and its variants, as well as future epidemic and pandemic threats.
The big draw is that firm is targeting particularly those vulnerable populations who do not develop a strong antibody response to vaccines, or those with compromised immune systems, the company said.
To be sure, the U.S. has approved three Covid vaccines, including two shot vaccines produced by Pfizer (PFE) and its German partner BioNTech (BNTX), Moderna (MRNA) and a single shot vaccine by Johnson & Johnson (JNJ).
In the U.S. 559 million doses have been administered so far, according to the Bloomberg.
Aerium has developed a two-antibody drug to prevent and treat Covid variants known to date to be administered via infusion.
Former Takeda Pharmaceutical (TAK) head Rajeev Venkayya will lead Aerium. He was formerly president of the Tokyo healthcare giant's global vaccine business.
"For the first time in history, we have the technology and scientific know-how to get ahead of the pandemic threat, and we can test that capability against new SARS-CoV-2 variants that are constantly emerging," said Venkayya in a statement.
Venkayya, who oversaw Takeda's development of its dengue and zika virus vaccines, to be launched soon, lends instant gravitas to the project.
Aerium is working in collaboration with its two scientific founders Giuseppe Pantaleo and Didier Tron based in Lausanne, Switzerland to develop effective therapeutics against not just existing but also future epidemic and pandemic threats.
Aerium, which raised an undisclosed sum in Series A financing through Omega Funds and F-Prime Capital, is focused on two monoclonal antibodies that, in preclinical testing, have shown "potent neutralization" of important Covid-19 variants of concern, including delta, omicron and stealth omicron.
The research was recently published on the preprint server BioRXiv and the Aerium plans to submit the paper for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.
"Our joint effort has led to the identification of a uniquely potent and broadly active combination of monoclonal antibodies, with the ability to block SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern identified to date, including Omicron and its variants," said Trono in a statement.
"We think it will be very hard for the virus to mutate around this combination," Venkayya told Reuters.
