Neem Biotech, Welsh Wound Innovation Centre and Sheffield Collaboratorium for Antimicrobial Resistance and Biofilms Awarded NBIC Grant to Advance Development of Neem’s First-in-Class Treatments for Wound Infections

National Biofilms Innovation Centre’s (NBIC) £50,000 Grant to Expand Knowledge on Novel Anti-Biofilm Clinical Drug Candidates

Cardiff, UK|14.12.2018

Neem Biotech, a company focused on developing novel solutions to address antimicrobial resistance, together with the Welsh Wound Innovation Centre and Sheffield Collaboratorium for Antimicrobial Resistance and Biofilms (SCARAB) announced today the receipt of a £50,000 inaugural National Biofilms Innovation Centre (NBIC) Proof of Concept grant. This inaugural grant has been awarded to expand the development and testing of effective anti-biofilm interventions, in this case based on the pioneering research conducted by Neem Biotech. Biofilms are formed by many bacteria as a protective mechanisms for colonies of bacteria in a range of metabolic states. In humans, biofilms protect bacteria from the human immune system and antibiotics and also exude virulence factors which allow the colonies of bacteria to invade local tissues and spread infection. Products that inhibit the spread of infection in biofilms are called quorum sensing inhibitors.

Specifically, the collaborators will expand data on the biological activity of Neem’s candidate compounds for managing bacterial infections in wounds. The research is aimed at advancing rational drug design and accelerating translation of basic research into the clinic.

“This grant will enable us to discover additional vital information on Neem’s candidate drugs that target painful local wound infection which inhibit wound healing. It will also expand our knowledge on Neem’s unique class of Quorum Sensing Inhibitors which could have great potential in a new generation of non-traditional antimicrobials.” said Graham Dixon, CEO of Neem Biotech. “This inaugural Proof of Concept initiative, made possible by the National Biofilms Innovation Centre, could accelerate access for patients to potentially ground-breaking bacterial infection management through pioneering science.”

“Wound infection remains a costly, growing and difficult condition to treat effectively. This collaboration has great potential for understanding the origins of such infections and thereby laying the foundation for improved treatment of these wounds which, if untreated, become a serious clinical problem,” noted Professor Keith Harding of the Welsh Wound Innovation Centre.

“New compounds that can inihibit quorum sensing and thus prevent or reduce biofilm formation and spread of infection have a vital role to play in our efforts to design practical strategies to overcome antimicrobial resistance. Current use of antibiotics can generate antimicrobial resistance and quorum sensing inhibitors could be a practical strategy to combine with antibiotics for some infections. Together with our colleagues at Neem Biotech and the Welsh Wound Innovation Centre, we believe we have all the elements in place to deliver success on this important quest,” said Dr Esther Karunakaran from Sheffield Collaboratorium for Antimicrobial Resistance and Biofilms.

PRESS CONTACTS

Neem Biotech
Heather Graz
t. +44 1495 292700
heathergraz@neembiotech.com

Halsin Partners
Mike Sinclair
t. +44 20 7318 2955
msinclair@halsin.com

About Biofilms and Quroum Sensing Inhibition

Biofilms are complex bacterial communities formed during the natural infection process as a protection mechanism and controlled by bacterial quorum sensing. Biofilm communities allow infections to spread by producing toxins that inhibit the body’s immune system, generating exopolysacheride and changes in metabolic state that reduce the efficacy of antibiotics and activating virulence factors that drive the spread of infection. Biofilms and quorum sensing allow infections to spread acutely and to become chronic. Inhibiting acute and chronic spread of infection by inhibition of quorum sensing has potential to manage a wide range of infection including not only wounds but also respiratory infection such as cystic fibrosis without the risk of generating amtimicrobial resistance.

Neem Biotech’s Antimicrobial Pipeline

NX-AS-911 is a potential new treatment for wound infection. The incidence of wounds is set to rise as more of us live longer and the effects of chronic lifestyle-related diseases, such as diabetes and obesity, take hold. Treatment of these wounds is often complicated by the presence of infection. NX-AX-911 is a quorum sensing inhibitor in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus which has shown potential in vitro to inhibit the spread of acute infection and support management of chronic infection.

NX-AS-401 is a potential new treatment for chronic lung infections in patients with cystic fibrosis. It is designed to help eradicate the Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacterial infections that are the key cause of death for cystic fibrosis patients. NX-AS-401 has a novel mechanism of action. As a quorum sensing inhibitor, it disrupts communication between bacteria, thereby preventing them from forming the film that is crucial in protecting them from current anti-Pseudomonal antibiotics.

About Neem Biotech
Neem Biotech is a Wales-based biotechnology company with a vision to enhance the life expectancy of patients, and the quality of life of both patients and their families. Leveraging significant expertise in the biology and chemistry of bioactive compounds, Neem Biotech transforms these naturally-inspired compounds into novel non-traditional antibiotic treatments that can aid in the fight against the global threat of antimicrobial resistance. Neem Biotech are studying the management of bacterial biofilms in cystic fibrosis and inhibition and treatment of wound infection, against which the company has drug candidates. For further information visit: www.neembiotech.com.

About Welsh Wound Innovation Centre (WWIC)
The Welsh Wound Innovation Centre (WWIC) is a not-for-profit organisation and the first national centre dedicated to wound healing worldwide. As the flagship clinical innovation facility in Wales, its remit includes stimulating economic growth by supporting business-led innovation in wound care, facilitating uptake of these clinical innovations by the NHS to the benefit of both patients and the public healthcare purse and expanding the existing knowledge base around wounds and wound management globally. Further details are available on www.wwic.wales.

About Sheffield Collaboratorium for Antimicrobial Resistance and Biofilms (SCARAB)
The Sheffield Collaboratorium for Antimicrobial Resistance and Biofilms (SCARAB) is an interdisciplinary academic and early translational research centre formed as a centre of excellence for biofilm research in 2017. It capitalises on the co-located expertise and equipment available across Sheffield University’s Faculty of Medical and Material Science to study biofilm formation and impacts in different tissue models. Collaborations with industry and the NHS are targeted to test interventions under development in order to accelerate availability of suitable anti-biofilm interventions to patients with chronic infected wounds. SCARAB was formed on the basis of a successful Innovate UK grant in 2017 and is a core member of the National Biofilms Innovation Centre network.

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This release was published on openPR.