Asterivir

OUR MISSION

To revolutionize
the treatment of
viral infections

Just as penicillin revolutionized the treatment of bacterial
infections 100 years ago, Asterivir has the potential to do
the same for the treatment of viral infections today.

Technology

Asterivir technology can work against a wide range of viruses, even if they don’t exist today.

A decade in the making.

Long before COVID-19 emerged, a group of scientists at

Lausanne, Switzerland

started working on a broad spectrum approach for treating viruses...

Asterivir's technology passed the SARS-CoV-2 test! Effective against a virus that did not even exist when it was invented.

Professor Francesco Stellacci, EPFL

TECHNOLOGY

Our antivirals employ a unique mechanism of action

By attacking infective viruses extracellularly, our patent- pending drugs work against more viruses and avoid the most common toxicity risks of existing approaches.

Our antivirals provide significantly longer therapeutic windows than existing drugs.

They work equally well against RNA viruses and DNA viruses because we present the binding site sought by the virus attached to a hydrophobic structure that destroys viruses.

Human Antivirals

Imagine a world where broad-spectrum antivirals can treat any viral infection or outbreak

Broad-spectrum antivirals will have
far-reaching impact

Respiratory syncytial virus

Respiratory syncytial virus is the most common cause of childhood acute lower respiratory illness, accounting for approximately 1.6M childhood deaths per year. It also affects the elderly with 2-5% of infections resulting in death.

Hepatitis B and C viruses

Hepatitis B and C are transmitted through exposure to bodily fluids and can cause liver inflammation. The condition can progress to fibrosis, cirrhosis or liver cancer. Vaccines are available to prevent HBV. There is no vaccine for HCV.

Influenza Virus

Influenza, or "the flu ", is caused by four influenza viruses: types A, B, C and D. There are 3-5 million severe cases annually, with up to 650,000 respiratory-related deaths globally each year. There have been five flu pandemics since 1900: the Spanish flu in 1918-1920, the Asian flu in 1957, the Hong Kong flu in 1968, the Russian flu in 1977, and the swine flu pandemic in 2009.

Dengue virus

Dengue virus is a leading cause of serious illness and death in some Asian and Latin American countries. Global incidence has grown dramatically in recent decades with half of the world's population now at risk. There are an estimated 100-400 million infections each year.

Zika virus

Zika virus infection during pregnancy can cause congenital abnormalities in the developing fetus and newborn. The mosquitoes that spread Zika are found throughout the US. There is no vaccine or treatment.

Herpes simplex virus

Herpes simplex virus can be transmitted to children from early contact with an infected adult. They carry the virus for life. As many as 50% of American adults have HSV. There is no vaccine or treatment.

Meet Our Team

Highlighted Publications

Jones, S. T., et al. "Modified cyclodextrins as broad-spectrum antivirals." Science Advances, 2020

Kocabiyic, O., et al. "Non-Toxic Virucidal Macromolecules Show High Efficiency Against Influenza Virus Ex Vivo and In Vivo" Advanced Science, 2020