Synedgen to develop molecules that kill drug-resistant bacteria
US Army awards biopharmaceutical firm US$2.73m in funding
US biopharma firm Synedgen has been awarded US$2.73m by the US Army to develop products and therapies to treat drug-resistant bacteria, particularly those that threaten US troops injured in the battlefield.
The funding will be used to manufacture pharmaceutical-grade biopolymer derivatives and examine the efficacy of wound care treatments in US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clinical trials. The pharmaceutical product will also be demonstrated for infection prophylaxis and new methods to prevent and treat gastrointestinal disease. The products will be manufactured at Synedgen’s facilities in Honolulu.
‘Synedgen molecules offer the potential to provide revolutionary improvements for wound treatment and gastrointestinal diseases,’ said Synedgen president and ceo William Wiesmann.
The Synedgen molecules are said to have potent antimicrobial properties against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, including those that are multi-drug resistant. They also have the ability to dissolve biofilms, the protective layer that bacteria produce, which conglomerates and adheres them to surfaces, including living tissue and inanimate materials.
Synedgen biopolymer derivatives are effective in disrupting biofilms of MRSA and multi-drug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii, also known as ‘Iraqibacter’ for its high rate of infections among troops injured in the war in Iraq.
This collection of bacteria, referred to by the US Centres for Disease Control (CDC) as ESKAPE bacteria, are known for their rapid development of resistance to multiple common types of antibiotics and for the severity of the associated infections.
Synedgen’s derivatives have demonstrated efficacy against all of these ESKAPE bacteria. Multiple repeated tests have also shown that Synedgen’s biopolymer derivative does not generate antibiotic resistance.
