Synthetic antibiotic strategy against gram-negative bacteria
Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (8/10)
Duke University researchers have developed a synthetic antibiotic, LPC-233, that could be effective against drug-resistant superbugs and bacteria. LPC-233 was found to be effective in protecting mice from fatal doses of multidrug-resistant bacteria by disrupting the synthesis of the outer membrane of the bacteria. LPC-233, which is a synthetic compound of the LpxC inhibitor, was developed after the first human trial of LpxC inhibitors failed because of cardiovascular toxicity. Hopefully, future studies will confirm the new antibiotic as a potential tool to address drug-resistant superbugs.
PAN-TB collaboration announces the start of a phase 2 clinical trial to evaluate two novel tuberculosis treatment regimens
Project to Accelerate New Treatments for Tuberculosis press release (8/9), features the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Johnson & Johnson, and TB Alliance
Last week, the Project to Accelerate New Treatments for Tuberculosis (PAN-TB) collaboration announced the start of a phase 2b/c clinical trial to evaluate novel treatment regimens for drug-sensitive tuberculosis (TB). The trial, which is sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, will evaluate two novel drug regimens made up of different combinations of five antibacterial agents—including the TB Alliance-developed pretomanid and the Janssen-developed bedaquiline— and will take place in high-burden countries starting with South Africa. The results will hopefully lead to a new, shorter pan-TB treatment regimen for patients.
CEPI to fund Gennova's self amplifying mRNA vaccine against Disease X
The Economic Times (8/8), features CEPI
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and Gennova Biopharmaceuticals last week announced a new agreement to advance the development of Gennova’s self-amplifying mRNA platform to create vaccine candidates against unknown pathogenic threats with pandemic potential. The funding will support the optimization and production of the platform technology and then the production of a vaccine candidate for preclinical studies against a known virus, rabies, to assess the new technology. This will hopefully lead to the development of novel RNA vaccines, which could offer significant advantages over existing mRNA vaccine platform technologies.
