UK Biotech Company Leading Fight to Cure E. coli

CAMBRIDGE, England, July 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

A Cambridge-based biotech company is leading the fight against potentially fatal bacteria such as MRSA and E. coli, attracting new funding to develop its pioneering treatment which could play a vital role in treating outbreaks such as those in France and Germany.

Phico Therapeutics has recently raised £1 million of further funding to develop a range of medical products based on its novel antibiotic technology, SASPject^[TM], which is proving effective in targeting bacteria resistant to conventional antibiotics.

SASPject[TM] PT3.X deactivates bacteria and prevents the release of toxins, halting the infection in its tracks. Unlike conventional antibiotics, SASPject only affects the targeted bacteria, leaving 'good' bacteria unharmed.

SASPject[TM] PT3.X deactivates bacteria and prevents the release of toxins, halting the infection in its tracks. Unlike conventional antibiotics, SASPject only affects the targeted bacteria, leaving ‘good’ bacteria unharmed.

Dr Heather Fairhead is Chief Executive of Phico Therapeutics which employs 19 staff at the Babraham Research Campus near Cambridge:

"There is currently no effective antibiotic treatment for this group of severe food-poisoning types of E. coli, and we are now witnessing the tragic human and economic consequences of this infection in Europe. It is vital that we continue to trial and refine these new products and this latest round of funding is extremely welcome," she said.

The active agent in SASPject is an antibiotic protein called SASP. It works by binding to bacterial DNA and deactivating it -– switching off all primary functions in the bacterial cell and stopping it from reproducing. Crucially, SASP can bind to any point on the DNA, making it virtually impossible for bacteria to develop resistance to it.

A type of virus known to target only bacteria is used to carry the SASP gene through the body directly to the infection, delivering it into the bacteria. The active protein, SASP, is then produced by the bacteria themselves, deactivating the cells. The unique SASPject delivery platform can be used to target selected individual bacterial species or a range of multiple species.

Phico has already attracted £10 million from its private investors to develop the first SASPject product, SASPject^[TM] PT1.2, to fight MRSA. Supported by a £1 million strategic award from the Wellcome Trust, the company has successfully completed a clinical human trial that showed the product is safe and well-tolerated in healthy human volunteers. Phase II of this clinical trial to assess its efficacy is scheduled for later this year.

"We hope the interest in the SASPject[TM]  project will attract additional support from pharmaceutical companies and venture capitalists to enable Phico to bring these ground-breaking developments to the market over the next few years," added Dr Fairhead.

“We hope the interest in the SASPject[TM] project will attract additional support from pharmaceutical companies and venture capitalists to enable Phico to bring these ground-breaking developments to the market over the next few years,” added Dr Fairhead.

Contact
Dr Heather Fairhead
CEO
Phico Therapeutics Ltd, Babraham Research Campus, Babraham, Cambridge, CB22 3AT
+44(0)1223-496755, info@phicotherapeutics.co.uk, http://www.phicotherapeutics.co.uk