UK medical research charity MRC Technology has licensed an antibody to Newsummit Biopharma, a leading Chinese drug developer, in an effort to create a novel therapeutic for treating Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.

According to MRC Technology, around 200 million people worldwide are estimated to be infected with HCV, of which 25% live in China. The London-based organization said that, although new promising treatments are becoming available, there is currently no vaccine for the infection, which is projected to be a major source of ill health and mortality before the end of the decade.

MRC’s scientists humanized the antibody using its proprietary technique and expertise, which the charity said has helped bring several other humanized antibody drugs to the market, including Merck & Co’s Keytruda, Biogen’s Tysabri and Roche’s Actemra.

“We have been working successfully with MRC Technology since 2009 to attract innovative therapies and diagnostics from the UK and Europe onto the Chinese market,” said Jun Ren, Newsummit Biopharma’s CEO. “With this license agreement, and through our unique collaborative innovation ecosystem, we aim to quickly tackle one of China’s major public health issues, as well as provide patients from Asia and the West with a valuable therapeutic option against HCV.”