£9.3m secured for alternative antibiotic research

Micreos, a biotech company has secured £9.3m (€12m) for the global development of new products containing Staphefekt, an alternative to antibiotics

The company said it intends to use the secured funds, which run until 2017, for the global development of its antibacterial lysin technology, Staphefekt as a pharmaceutical product.

Gladskin is a lysin (enzyme) based product registered for human use and specifically targets S.aureus bacteria on intact skin. Staphefekt was launched in 2013 as the active compound in Gladskin, a product for people with inflammatory skin conditions such as eczema, rosacea and acne.

Gladskin creams and gels with Staphefekt have been tested in prospective studies by the Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam. Micreos said that results show that daily use of Gladskin to suppress S.aureus on the skin lead to a significant reduction of inflammatory symptoms associated with eczema, acne and rosacea.

Contrary to antibiotics, Staphefekt kills only the harmful bacteria, leaving the beneficial microbiome on skin unharmed.

Due to its unique mode of action, Staphefekt is not expected to induce drug-resistance, leading the company to carry out clinical trials for various indications as a pharmaceutical superior alternative to antibiotics for the treatment of eczema, diabetic wound infections, ulcers and burn wounds, according to Micreos.

Mark Offerhaus, CEO of Micreos, said: “We are delighted with this influx of additional funding.

“Clinical development is costly and time-consuming, but the millions of people who suffer from S.aureus related infections such as eczema, stand to benefit from the advancement brought about by this funding.”