Maxwell Biosciences Secures US Military Research Agreement to Combat Dengue Fever
Austin, Texas--(Newsfile Corp. - February 26, 2025) - Maxwell Biosciences, a preclinical drug platform company that develops Claromers TM, synthetic small molecules that mimic and improve upon the compounds of the human immune system, today announced a new collaboration. Maxwell has entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement to develop therapies for dengue virus infections with the Naval Medical Research Command's (NMRC) Naval Medical Infectious Diseases Diagnostic Laboratory (NIDDL).
Scientist examines dengue virus in laboratory
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Located at NMRC's Silver Spring, Maryland headquarters, the NIDDL assists in the detection and identification of high-risk and emerging infectious diseases and will test Maxwell Biosciences' Claromer TM compounds for use as an antiviral therapeutic agent against the four known strains of dengue fever, a mosquito-borne viral infection.
'Entering a collaborative research and development agreement with the NMRC and NIDDL demonstrates the remarkable momentum behind Maxwell's Claromer™ biodefense technology,' said Scotch McClure, CEO of Maxwell Biosciences. 'Dengue fever cases continue to increase worldwide, with 12 million infections reported by the Centers for Disease Control in 2024 in the Americas. Globally, cases of dengue have doubled each year since 2021. At Maxwell, we're honored to partner with the U.S. military to tackle the most difficult diseases that are beyond the capabilities of other pharmaceutical companies. Maxwell is a true pioneer in this space, leading the world in our efforts for developing new, shelf-stable therapeutics against the world's most neglected, dangerous and deadly pathogens.'
About Dengue
Dengue fever is categorized as a Neglected Tropical Disease by the World Health Organization. Dengue virus primarily passes to people from the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito, the same mosquitos that carry Zika and Chikungunya. [ 1 ] Symptoms of dengue fever include high fever, severe headaches, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pain, nausea, vomiting, swollen glands, rash and death. Most cases are mild and last about two weeks. Severe dengue has more serious symptoms and often impacts those who are infected with dengue more than once. [ 2 ] Dengue is now the fastest-growing mosquito-borne illness in the world. [ 3 ] Between January and September 2024, 12.7 million cases were reported-double the total for all of 2023—with the highest concentration in the Americas. This surge is due in part to expanding mosquito habitats resulting from climate change. Dengue is endemic in 130 countries. [ 4 ]
About the NMRC
NMRC is engaged in a broad spectrum of activities, such as basic science in the laboratory, field studies in austere and remote areas of the world and investigations in operational environments. In support of the Navy, Marine Corps and joint U.S. warfighters, researchers study infectious diseases, biological warfare detection and defense, combat casualty care, environmental health concerns, aerospace and undersea medicine, medical modeling, simulation, operational mission support, epidemiology and behavioral sciences.
NMRC's NIDDL serves in the detection and identification of high-risk and emerging infectious diseases. It also conducts surveillance efforts for Department of Defense frontline providers and public health professionals in support of health protection for active-duty military members and military health system beneficiaries.
About Maxwell Biosciences
Founded in 2016, Maxwell Biosciences is a preclinical drug platform company that develops Claromers TM, synthetic small molecules that mimic and improve upon the natural immune system. Inspired by nature, these deep tech breakthrough molecules have been shown to be effective against Ebola, zika, herpes, dengue, pan-coronavirus and pan-influenza A (avian, swine and human) in destroying viruses, but also all tested bacteria, fungi and biofilms with a single compound, while safely preserving healthy cells. This new 'One Drug for Many Bugs' technology has been shown to be well-tolerated in lab-grown human tissue and in multiple animal studies and is shelf-stable. The compounds imitate key components of the innate immune system: humanity's greatest asset in fighting disease. Maxwell's technology is protected by numerous granted and pending patents and is led by a world-class team of scientists, military veterans and experienced life science executives.
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Scotch McClure
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The views and conclusions contained herein are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies or endorsements, either expressed or implied, of the U.S. Government.
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