The agreement aims to further develop Nemesis Transmid Technology© for the treatment and/or prevention of hard-to-treat respiratory infections caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The collaboration will leverage the innovative science and technology platforms of both parties and will aim to move products into clinical development. Financial details were not disclosed.
Transmid Technology© has already proved effective in inactivating the antibiotic resistance genes of bacteria, with in vivo studies demonstrating that resistant bacteria are returned to antibiotic sensitivity. Nemesis’ breakthrough technology has important potential for wider commercialisation as it can also be applied to the inactivation of bacterial virulence factors as well as for biosynthetic and industrial microbiology applications.
P. aeruginosa is a human pathogenic bacterium which is causing hard-to-treat infections worldwide. The sophisticated abilities of this pathogen to adapt to various kinds of environmental stresses including chemotherapy and host immunity place patients at higher risk of relapsing infections and longer treatment periods, leading to reduced quality of life (QOL) metrics and survival of patients.
Commenting on the announcement Dr Frank Massam, CEO of Nemesis said, “The current Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent increases in the use of ventilators are a reminder that we are likely to see a corresponding increase in secondary, antibiotic-resistant bacterial pneumonias so we welcome the opportunity to work with Shionogi to develop treatments to address this crucial and growing problem.”
Ryuichi Kiyama, PhD, Senior Executive Officer, Executive Vice President, of Shionogi’s Pharmaceutical Research Division said, “We anticipate that Nemesis’ Transmid Technology© will become a new approach to fight against various bacteria. Shionogi has a strong heritage in the field of anti-infectives and has been developing antimicrobial therapies for more than 60 years. We believe our knowledge can accelerate this collaboration.”