Biomimetics for treating biofilm-embedded infections

Multi-drug resistant (MDR) biofilms are one of the most difficult bacterial infections to treat. Current antibiotics are increasingly unable to cure these infections; underscoring the need to develop new antibiotics that operate through novel mechanisms which overcome the biofilm environment. PolyMedix has discovered a novel class of antibiotics, SMAMPS (small mimics of antimicrobial peptides), that work through a mechanism which appears to evade resistance development and is not depended on bacterial growth. One SMAMP is currently in human clinical trials to treat nosocomial infections, including methicillin-resistant S. aureus. During the Phase I STTR, potently active lead compounds were identified against pathogens associated with biofilm-embedded infections. Resistance to other antibiotics did not influence susceptibility to the PMX mimetics. Rapid killing kinetics and a low risk for the development of resistance are hallmark features of PMX mimetics and underscore their potential as novel antimicrobial agents suitable for further development for treatment of infections complicated by biofilm formation. This Phase II STTR aims to identify SMAMPs that are potently active in in vitro and in vivo biofilm infection models and possess pharmaceutical qualities suitable for further development.