Initial high throughput screening activities have been focused on a number of gram-negative bacteria and initial hit molecules identified against drug-resistant organisms including compounds which prevent the growth of uropathogenic Escherichia coli and Acinetobacter baumanii, In addition the proprietary SATIN platform technology, (Selective Antibiotic Target IdentificatioN) consisting of advanced bacterial genetics and bioinformatics technologies has been established and further refinements made in the recently opened Cambridge laboratories.
The SATIN platform enables the identification of the molecular target of chemical compounds that affect bacterial viability in phenotypic screening assays. SATIN also identifies possible resistance mechanisms as part of a very detailed clinical profile prediction.
“To see the innovative technology from the business plan bearing fruit so quickly is a real testament to the quality of the team we have assembled at Discuva. It is a very exciting time in microbiology research and this puts us in the vanguard of the fight against infectious diseases”; commented Discuva CSO, Prof John Wain
David Williams, CEO of Discuva, said: “The whole team has performed an outstanding job driving all aspects of the science and business at an incredible pace and ensuring that we’ve met all our early objectives. Although it’s only the start of the drug discovery process, it’s a great step forward in the fight to find new antibiotics to help patents battle drug-resistant infections both in our hospitals and in the general community. ”
About Discuva Ltd
Discuva is a Cambridge, UK-based drug Discovery Company which was established to address the major gaps that exist in the current treatment of infective disease with antibiotics and meet the current, critical unmet medical need in the clinic. The company has proprietary technologies that allow the rapid identification and development of targeted Next Generation antibiotics against emerging and drug-resistant pathogens. Discuva currently has several specific antimicrobial programmes mainly focused on Gram negative bacteria that cause major hospital and community-based infections. The drugs produced by Discuva are being developed to have two major advantages over conventional antibiotics; no development of cross resistance and fewer side effects giving safer more effective treatments with a longermarket life.
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Contact:
David Williams, PhD
Chief Executive Officer
Discuva Limited
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