Island Pharmaceuticals partners with Burnet Institute for antivirals

Island Pharmaceuticals (ASX:ILA) announced a strategic research collaboration with the Burnet Institute to broaden the developmental scope of its lead antiviral molecules, ISLA-101 and Galidesivir.

The partnership aims to evaluate the assets against high-value viral threats with significant global health impacts, specifically targeting measles, chikungunya, and the Ross River virus.

Currently, no specific treatments exist for these diseases, which collectively cause millions of infections globally and thousands of cases within Australia annually.

The collaboration is designed to leverage existing clinical and preclinical datasets to maximise asset value without requiring new molecule acquisitions or significant capital outlay.

By focusing on these specific indications, Island Pharmaceuticals is deliberately aligning its development pathways with national stockpile requirements, biodefence strategies, and public health preparedness frameworks.

Burnet Institute will lead the technical assessment, conducting in vitro and translational studies to determine the antiviral activity of the compounds against the selected pathogens.

The program will be spearheaded by Dr Johanna Fraser, Head of Burnet Institute’s Arbovirology Working Group and a co-inventor of ISLA-101.

Dr Fraser recently secured a National Health and Medical Research Council grant exceeding $780,000, providing substantial non-dilutive funding to advance the work.

The research is expected to generate critical data to inform future regulatory pathways and considerably strengthen the company’s intellectual property portfolio in the infectious disease sector.

At the time of reporting, Island Pharmaceuticals’ share price was $0.42.