Symcel and Colzyx partner to test 25 novel, first-in-kind collagen VI-derived antimicrobial peptides with calScreener

Published: 20-Dec-2016

The first time ever peptides of this nature are tested for effectiveness in combating microbial infection using bioenergetic measurements

Symcel, the company behind the revolutionary cell-based assay tool for real-time cellular bioenergetic measurements, calScreener, has partnered with Colzyx to test 25 different new collagen VI-derived antimicrobial peptides – analysing their capability to kill bacterial growth.

These newly discovered, first-in-kind peptides each have the capability to kill bacteria in different ways. The technology will be used flexibly to test each peptide independently or in combination with others.

Testing the collagen VI-derived peptides with Symcel’s calScreener, with the calorimetric measurement of heat generated by metobolism, provides rapid generation of unique information that can’t be acquired through other experimental methods.

The novel calScreener technology provides continuous kinetic data for bacterial growth and inhibition – making it a valuable tool for evaluating novel antibacterial compounds. These newly created peptides are of a type that has never been tested in this field of R&D before.

Eskil Söderlind, CEO at Colzyx, remarked: “We are delighted to have partnered with Symcel in what is an industry first in R&D on multiple counts. Their innovative calScreener technology is set to further test and validate the effectiveness of our novel collagen VI peptides, which, for the first time in research history, are being put to use to combat microbial infection by destroying bacteria.”

Christer Wallin, CEO of Symcel, commented: “We are very pleased to be working with Colzyx and very much look forward to putting our technology to use in measuring and evaluating the impact that their peptides have in killing bacterial growth. CalScreener was selected because of its ability to deliver unique data in real-time for these truly groundbreaking tests – the results of which will be of high scientific and healthcare interest.”

Eskil Söderlind continued: “Our peptides have the potential to provide a new and unique form of antibiotics to treat infections in the future. Our highly natural solution — utilising the body's own built in defence mechanism and developing that into a form of a pharmaceutical drug to target microbial infection – has great healthcare potential.”

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