Maxwell Focus: Next Generation Anti-infectives
We have seen quite remarkable results of our peptoid antimicrobial drug candidates against viruses, fungi, and 45 of the 47 multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria tested. These tests show rapid killing-kinetics against the drug resistant pathogens, in vivo biostability, initial toxicology results that appear to be safe in mice and wax worms, rapid destruction of biofilms (a particularly tough wall that “sleeping” bacteria use to protect themselves against threats) and prevention of biofilm formation.
Our peptoid antibiotics are bioengineered to be a functional mimic of human cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide. As a synthetic mimic of pepTIDES, we call them pepTOIDS.
As a result, our board has voted to focus the company on antimicrobial peptoid drug development. We are now dedicated to following up this data with further testing of our drug candidates.
Untreatable Super Bugs
Each year in the U.S., millions people are infected with drug-resistant pathogens, and people die as a result. This past year, 100s of thousands of people are likely to die from the flu. Globally, billions are infected with drug-resistant pathogens that impact national economies and keep the world at constant risk for pandemics.
No one can completely avoid the risk of viral infections, but some people are at greater risk than others; like the elderly, children and people with chronic illnesses. Modern medicine has very limited options to treat viral infections and control public health threats such as influenza, sexually transmitted diseases such as herpes and HIV and other epidemic level viral infections. These infectious diseases are caused by viruses and as such as preventable but not necessarily seen as effectively treatable. Maxwell may change that and we have data to show that untreatable viral infections may be an unfortunate concept soon to be outdated by our new class of anti-infectives.
Many medical advances are dependent on the ability to fight infections using anti-infectives, including joint replacements, organ transplants, cancer therapy, and treatment of chronic diseases like diabetes, asthma, and rheumatoid arthritis. Without effective anti-infectives, we lose much of the advancements medical science has made in the the modern era.
Maxwell is now working to solve this global health emergency.
