WiSys Technologies

Staphylococcus aureus Infection Treatment

WiSys Technology Number: T100005US02
Patent Number: 8,530,512
Patent Filed: December 20, 2010 (PDF)
Status
Patented
Stage of Development:

Compound isolated and initial bioavailability and toxicity testing completed

OVERVIEW

Emerging resistance to antibiotics remains a serious threat to human health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that each year nearly 2 million people acquire an infection while in a hospital. New antimicrobial agents are urgently needed to combat the rise of resistant forms of infections including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Two-thirds of the S. aureus strains isolated from infected people are now MRSA strains and are responsible for nearly 278,000 infections and 19,000 deaths annually, according to the CDC. Resistance to other antibiotics is becoming more commonplace within this species, so new antibiotics are desperately needed to keep abreast of the ongoing resistance patterns in S. aureus and other bacteria strains.


THE INVENTION

A collaborative research team from the UW System has identified a new antimicrobial compound and several derivatives that have broad spectrum activity against several clinically important gram-positive species including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), among others.



Initial testing has uncovered the following:

  • Preliminary in vitro studies demonstrate the unformulated compound was efficacious against a number of strains of S. aureus, including MRSA strains.
  • Preliminary in vivo studies demonstrate unformulated compound is both efficacious and safe when administered intraperitoneally (IP) to mice to treat thigh abscess MRSA infections.
  • Compound formulation has been optimized for bioavailability
  • Preliminary safety/toxicity of formulated compound was tested in mice, and the compound was found to be safe for testing in mammals.
  • Preliminary PK studies demonstrate bioavailability is 8 percent with a half-life of 20-30 minutes.
  • Radiolabeled macromolecule synthesis studies have shown the mechanism of action for the drug is not tied to DNA, RNA, or protein synthesis.
Taken together, these results suggest the compound may be a safe, viable, and effective treatment for clinically significant gram-positive infections in humans, including high priority drug resistant strains.


APPLICATIONS

  • Treatment of multiple gram-positive infections in humans, including some drug resistant strains


KEY BENEFITS

  • Effective against multiple bacterial species
  • Can help lower the cost of healthcare
  • Profound impact on public health
Institution
UW-La Crosse UW-La Crosse
Inventors
Aaron Monte
Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Marc Rott
Associate Microbiology
M. Shahjahan Kabir
Jennifer Miskowski
Professor of Biology
Ranjit Verma
Research Associate
Leah Defoe