INNOSUISSE - Isolation, identification and characterization of novel active molecules having antibiotic activity against multiresistant human pathogens from the extracts of fungi and extremophiles
Partecipanti al progetto
- Varese Giovanna Cristina (Responsabile)
Descrizione del progetto
Inflamalps has a lot of experience in pharmaceutical research and development.
Due to the overuse of antibiotics, multi-resistant pathogens have emerged as a global threat to public health and nowadays all of the existing antibiotics, introduced since the ’40s have induced the emergence of resistance in human pathogens.
Many of them are now resistant to not only whole but also multiple classes of antimicrobials.
Providing a novel class of antibiotic against even one multi-resistant human pathogen would have a real significant impact, in particular to handle difficult-to-treat infections by saving lives and reducing the cost for society.
We have previously identified one extremophile and six filamentous fungi that possess significant antimicrobial properties when tested against multi-resistant bacteria and yeasts. These microorganisms have never been reported to produce molecules with antimicrobial activity.
The main goal of this Innosuisse project is to fractionate all the available extracts in order to isolate the antibiotic molecules and to establish their structure. Based on novelty, molecules will be patented and further developed. The groups of Profs. Portmann and Marti, at HEIA Fribourg, will establish the optimal conditions for the isolation of the active molecules and together with Dr. Menin at EPFL, they will elucidate their structures. All these developments will be driven by measurement of biological activities performed by our third party partner, IHMA Europe. Our third party partners, Universities of Torino (Italy) and Canterbury (New Zealand) will produce necessary amounts of fungal and extremophile extracts through upscaling.
The discovery of new patentable antimicrobial molecules would allow Inflamalps to initiate discussions with the pharma industry to negotiate co-development partnerships and out-licensing deals.
The revenues could come from the out-licensing of our molecules at the end of Phase 2 clinical trial to a third party pharma.