In vivo efficacy and safety of novel therapeutic host defense peptides

Biofilms are clusters of bacterial cells that grow together on a surface. Biofilms are often associated with infections (~65%) but they are exceedingly difficult to treat with conventional antibiotics and there are currently no biofilm-specific treatments available on the market. Some common biofilm-associated infections include skin and sinus infections as well as infections associated with implanted medical devices. There is an urgent need to develop alternative therapies that target biofilms and ABT Innovations has developed a series of synthetic peptides with potent antibiofilm activity that they intend to move towards clinical applications. The purpose of this project is to study the potential of these therapeutic peptides to cause local toxicity or inflammation at the site of administration, which is important information that will help inform ABT’s future clinical development. The novel antibiofilm peptide therapeutics will in turn benefit the Canadian community, providing a novel treatment option for biofilm-associated infections.

Faculty Supervisor:

Robert Hancock

Student:

Partner:

ABT Innovations Inc.

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

The University of British Columbia

Program: