Project description
Novel compounds remove the cloak of antibiotic resistance from deadly bacteria
Gram-positive bacteria account for about 60 % of respiratory, intra-abdominal and urinary tract infections. They include Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococci, both leading causes of endocarditis and hospital-acquired illnesses – both forming highly virulent antibiotic-resistant strains. Scientists have been working hard to come up with new weapons against these predators. Now, QTB4AMR may have found one. Rather than develop new drugs, the project has developed compounds that restore antibiotic sensitivity in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE). Their simple and elegant solution will potentially stop these serial killers in their tracks and simultaneously preserve the huge global investment that was devoted to bringing these conventional antibiotics to market.
Objective
We tackle the challenges posed by the emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) with a conceptually new approach. We have established a scalable chemical platform for the development of novel antibiotic resistance breakers (ARBs). Our compounds sensitize the pathogen and restore the effectiveness of standard-of-care antibiotics. By circumventing the painstaking process of discovering and developing new antibiotics, we bring forth a more cost-effective approach to confront the emergence of AMR. Allowing pharmaceutical companies to protect decades worth of R&D efforts and billions of euros in development costs, we present them with an attractive value proposition. Our platform enables the fast, high-yield production of ARBs against gram-positive bacteria (GmPcides). Our compounds have displayed effectiveness against two of the most threatening drug-resistant pathogens MRSA and VRE. Moreover, the compounds exhibit a strong in vivo synergy with two of the world’s most essential antibiotics Gentamicin and Vancomycin.
Fields of science
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
SME-1 - SME instrument phase 1Coordinator
907 36 UMEA
Sweden
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.