PACTT is pleased to announce that, this year, UNIL has entered into a licensing agreement with PhagoMed Biopharma GmbH, an Austrian biotechnology company, focused on the development of phage-based drugs as new anti-bacterials.
Accordingly, PhagoMed Biopharma GmbH is developing highly specific bacterial viruses called bacteriophages (phages) and their associated lysins that work where antibiotics fail and protect the beneficial bacteria.
The non-exclusive licensing agreement covers a specific and highly effective non-patentable Staphylococcus aureus phage isolated and characterized by UNIL for its use in the development of a new phage cocktail for the treatment of implant-associated infections. It is our hope that this promising and innovative therapeutic will benefit to the patients.
The S. aureus bacteriophage, subject of the license agreement, was isolated by the laboratory of Dr Grégory Resch, Senior Lecturer and Head of the phage laboratory at the Department of Fundamental Microbiology of UNIL. Interested in the development of phage-based medicine, his team has gathered one of the most important academic collection of therapeutic phages targeting worrying human bacterial pathogens belonging to the so-called ESKAPE family.
In addition, UNIL and Phagomed Biopharma GmbH are currently pursuing a development program under an additional consulting agreement.