The DRACO technology, pioneered by Todd Rider, is currently being continued and developed at Kimer Med, a New Zealand-based company, under a new name: the VTose project. Kimer Med, founded in 2020, is focused on expanding and refining the original concept, which aims to create a broad-spectrum antiviral drug capable of combating a wide range of dangerous viruses, including those causing diseases of major epidemic and pandemic significance.
Todd Rider’s Origins and Ideas
Todd Rider developed DRACO (Double-stranded RNA Activated Caspase Oligomerizer) as an innovative antiviral therapy based on the detection of double-stranded RNA, a characteristic of viruses replicating their genomes within host cells. DRACO’s mechanism of action is to selectively detect and induce apoptosis in infected cells while leaving healthy cells unharmed. This approach promises to treat a broad spectrum of viral diseases, overcoming the limitations of conventional therapies targeting single viruses.
Acquisition and development by Kimer Med – VTose project
Despite promising results from preliminary studies and mouse tests, work on Rider’s original DRACO stalled for many years due to insufficient funding and technological challenges. In 2020, Kimer Med launched the VTose project—an improved antivirus platform based on DRACO technology.
Kimer Med has invested significant financial and research resources to improve the underlying technology—particularly in terms of efficacy, safety, and scalability. VTose is now an advanced antiviral therapy capable of combating multiple viral families through a mechanism known as viral cytopathic effect (CPE) reduction.
Latest achievements and research results
In June 2023, Kimer Med announced that VTose demonstrated 100% efficacy in the laboratory against Dengue (DENV-2) and Zika (ZIKV) viruses, as confirmed by independent testing in laboratories in the U.S. Furthermore, the project extended its effectiveness against at least eleven viruses from different families, including influenza viruses and herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2)—all of which confirmed the therapy’s low toxicity to healthy cells.
Financing and the Clinical Future
In March 2024, Kimer Med signed a contract worth up to $750,000 (NZ$1.3 million) with Battelle Memorial Institute, a global leader in independent research and development, to support the company in developing additional antiviral drug candidates based on its VTose technology.
Additionally, the company has secured significant funding of over NZ$14 million from private and institutional sources to advance its future clinical trials. Preparations are currently underway to advance the VTose project into early clinical trials (Phase I), which could represent a breakthrough in the treatment of viral infectious diseases on a global scale.
Development strategy and scientific cooperation
Kimer Med is focused on continuously improving the VTose formulation, expanding its delivery capabilities and improving its effectiveness against latent and difficult-to-control viruses. The company is also conducting in vivo studies in animal models and building partnerships with research institutions to accelerate the translation of this technology into the medical market.
Summary
The VTose project is currently the most important successor to Todd Rider’s DRACO technology. It is currently one of the most innovative approaches to treating a wide range of viral infections. Thanks to advanced research, solid financial support, and international research collaborations, VTose has a real chance of becoming a breakthrough drug that will provide effective therapy against many dangerous viruses, even those that have traditionally posed difficult challenges to medicine.
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Sources:
- fightaging.org, 2024
- Wikipedia, 2011
- Kimer Med official announcements, recent years