3 October 2017 - - San Diego, California-based developer of therapies for antibiotic-resistant infections using bacteriophage-based technology AmpliPhi Biosciences Corp. (NYSE MKT: APHB) has published preclinical data demonstrating the activity of AB-PA01 in reducing biofilms, the company said.
The paper, titled "Activity of Bacteriophages in Removing Biofilms of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolates from Chronic Rhinosinusitis Patients," was published on September 22, 2017, in the journal Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology.
The research assessed the activity of AB-PA01, AmpliPhi's drug candidate that contains four specific bacteriophages (referred to as CT-PA), in eradicating biofilms of ex vivo P. aeruginosa isolates from chronic rhinosinusitis patients (CRS). P. aeruginosa isolates from CRS patients with and without cystic fibrosis collected across three continents were multi-locus sequence typed and tested for antibiotic resistance.
Biofilms grown in vitro were treated with AB-PA01 and biofilm biomass was measured after 24 and 48 hours, using a crystal violet assay.
The isolates included 44 strain types. Bacteriophage treatment significantly reduced biofilm biomass at both 24 and 48 hours post-treatment (p < 0.0001), regardless of CF status or antibiotic resistance profiles.
Bacteriophages, or more simply "phages," are the natural predators of bacteria and are thought to be the most abundant life form on earth.
Phages have evolved an incredible diversity of strains that typically prey upon just a few closely related strains or species of bacteria, enabling phage therapies to precisely target pathogenic bacteria while sparing the beneficial microbiota. Phages can infect and kill bacteria, whether they are antibiotic-resistant or not, and even when they have formed protective biofilms.
AmpliPhi Biosciences is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on treating antibiotic-resistant infections using its proprietary bacteriophage-based technology.
Its lead product candidates target multidrug-resistant S. aureus and P. aeruginosa, which are included on the WHO's 2017 Priority Pathogens List.