Auspherix, Domainex Join Forces Against Drug-Resistant Infections
Early-stage anti-infectives firm Auspherix and U.K.-based drug discovery services firm Domainex announced a new collaboration to develop treatments that will combat antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections.
Under the terms of the agreement, the partners plan to select a clinical candidate from Auspherix’s anti-infective drug discovery program that will target resistant strains of bacterial infections. The two partners have already collaborated to develop Auspherix’s small molecule leads into novel antibiotic drug candidates ready for clinical trials.
ithree Institute Director Professor Ian Charles said that the emergence of increasingly resistant superbugs calls for the urgent discovery of new ways to fight infectious diseases. “We are seeing increasing numbers of cases of drug-resistant bacteria around the world, driven by cumulative overuse of antibiotics. …We selected Domainex as our medicinal chemistry partner for this project, as its scientists are highly-experienced in the development of novel anti-infectives and we are looking forward to nominating a clinical candidate for progression into patients in due course.”
Auspherix was launched in 2013 as a spin out from the ithree Institute at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). The company has in-licensed intellectual property from ithree to develop new antibiotics with unique mechanisms of action against resistant bacterial disease.
Eddy Littler, CEO of Domainex said, “We are thrilled to be working with Auspherix and combining its teams’ extensive expertise in antibacterial research with Domainex’s impressive track record in drug discovery. It has already proven to be a strong and fully integrated collaboration, and we are confident that our joint success will make a significant contribution to the treatment of antibacterial diseases.”
Earlier this year, Domainex reported that its lead compound in development as treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) demonstrated its potential in pre-clinical studies. The company also announced its receipt of a £1.4m Biomedical Catalyst Award to support the advancement of the compound into Phase 1 clinical studies.