R&D

MUbio’s partnered and proprietary R&D projects focus on the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic reagents for lung cancer patients and patients suffering from cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections.

There is a growing need for new diagnostic and therapeutic reagents. Lung cancer is the number one killer amongst cancer patients. In the western world 450.000 people are suffering from lung cancer, and approximately the same number of people are suffering from CMV infection. CMV is the major cause of virus-induced neurological abnormalities in newborn children, virus-induced organ-rejection in transplant recipients, and is causing major morbidity and mortality in AIDS patients.

For both diseases current diagnostic methods and treatments are inadequate. For lung cancer cytotoxic therapy is the only option, whereas for CMV strains are developing that are resistant to existing small molecule treatments. CMV infections cause serious human and societal damage. The US Institute Of Medicine (IOM) estimated the costs of treating the consequences of CMV infection in the US at more that $4 billion per year and has placed the development of a CMV vaccine its first priority category.

In addition, late diagnosis of lung cancer has a high impact on prognosis for this disease. Current cancer diagnostic developments need the application of recombinant antigens to improve throughput, sensitivity and selectivity of the diagnostic test kits.

MUbio can contribute to the treatment of both diseases. MUbio has secured a strong know how basis in cancer and CMV by its scientific staff and collaborations with academic hospitals, universities and business partners.