On Aril 8th 2022, AiCuris announced at the BIOCOM AMR Conference 2022 that it has selected Madam Therapeutics with its unique peptide approach to fight AMR as the first winner of the AiCubator Resident Status in 2022, a corporate innovation accelerator initiative at BIOCOM AMR Conference 2022
Highlights
- In its second year an innovative artificial intelligence-based approach to fight antimicrobial resistance with dual-acting antimicrobial and antibiofilm peptides from Madam Therapeutics was selected to join the AiCubator initiative as the first Resident
- “AiCubator” was launched by AiCuris mid-2020 to provide long-term support for early but promising research projects in the field of anti-infectives
Wuppertal, Germany, April 08, 2022 – AiCuris Anti-infective Cures AG, a leading company in the discovery and development of drugs against infectious diseases, today announced the first winner of the AiCuris AiCubator initiative in 2022, the second year of the company’s accelerator program. Submitted projects in the field of anti-infectives were evaluated by AiCuris experts on various criteria, including status of target identification, preliminary efficacy data on hits, addressed indications and potential competitive advantages to existing standards of care. Over a period of up to three years, the winning projects will benefit from AiCuris’ scientific and preclinical / clinical development support and expertise and understanding of the industry to advance their ideas and approaches.
“We are excited to welcome the first winner of the AiCubator Resident Status in 2022,” said Dr. Holger Zimmermann, CEO of AiCuris Anti-infective Cures AG. “Outstanding and novel approaches are needed to face today’s healthcare threats and combat antimicrobial resistance and complex infections. The AiCubator program was launched to find and promote exactly those projects – projects that bear the promise of an innovative drug based on exciting new scientific approaches.”
“The good experiences we made during our first year of the AiCubator initiative encourage us to further support promising early projects based on new scientific principles and ideas to fill pipeline gaps, tackle anti-microbial resistance and prevent future pandemics,” he added. “We are very much looking forward to working with the selected project team and supporting Madam Therapeutics to bring their project to the next level.”
The Project: Artificial intelligence and a unique peptide approach to fight complex bacterial infections
Madam Therapeutics has established an extensive library of selective, dual-acting so-called synthetic antimicrobial and antibiofilm peptides (SAAPs) with a unique mode of action that are highly efficient in killing multi-drug resistant pathogens under physiologically challenging conditions without inducing resistance. In addition, SAAPs eliminate established biofilms formed by bacteria to protect them against the human immune system and antibiotic treatments. By using artificial intelligence, the company identifies the best SAAP variants to develop targeted drug candidates against different antibiotic-resistant bacteria in a variety of indications. Madam Therapeutics generated in vivo proof-of-concept (POC) in superficial wound infections, implant infections, as well as pulmonary and bladder infections, showing that SAAPs outperform many of the known preclinical- and clinical-phase antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). The initial targeted therapeutic indications include infected diabetes food ulcers (DFU) and sepsis.
“We are delighted to participate in the AiCubator program and to benefit from the deep experience AiCuris has demonstrated in the field of anti-infective development,” said Remko van Leeuwen, CEO of Madam Therapeutics. “Based on a joint commitment to fight antimicrobial resistance, we hope, with the support of AiCuris, to accelerate the achievement of new milestones in the further development of our dual-acting SAAPs, a new generation of resistance-breaking antibiotics.”
About AiCubator
To promote early ideas that might lead to novel resistance-breaking antibiotic or anti-infective approaches, each year, AiCuris selects promising research projects for the AiCubator, an innovative corporate incubator. The AiCubator initiative is dedicated to academic scientific groups or recently formed biotech start-ups with early-stage anti-infective projects in areas of high priority that are scientifically attractive but too early for licensing deals. The program was designed to help scientists and start-ups build their own business and grow their underlying ideas and approaches to an advanced level. Residents of the AiCubator program receive long-term support, including financial, business development as well as scientific and regulatory advice. Additionally, they gain insight into pre-clinical and clinical drug development and the pharmaceutical business.
For more information on AiCubator visit: www.aicuris.com/AiCubator.
About AiCuris Anti-infective Cures AG
AiCuris was founded in 2006 as a spin-off from Bayer and focuses on the discovery and development of drugs targeting infectious diseases. SANTO Holding is the Company’s majority investor. PREVYMIS® (Letermovir), a first-in-class non-nucleoside cytomegalovirus (CMV) inhibitor acting via a novel mechanism of action, was licensed to MSD in 2012 and is approved in the EU, US, Japan and other parts of the world for use in bone marrow transplants for the prevention of HCMV infections in adults who receive an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant. The Company is developing drugs for the treatment of viruses such as human CMV, herpes simplex virus (HSV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and adenoviruses, as well as for SARS-CoV‑2 and other viruses with pandemic potential. In 2022, AiCuris acquired exclusive rights from Hybridize to develop and commercialize direct-acting RNA-based therapies to prevent severe diseases from BK virus (BKV) infections in immunocompromised patients. In the field of antibacterials, AiCuris seeks to develop innovative treatment options for indications with high medical need, including life-threatening, multidrug-resistant, hospital-treated pathogens.
Fundraising
Madam Therapeutics is currently actively fundraising (Series A investment) for the next stages of pre-clinical and clinical development of the SAAPs and broadening her pipeline of products, while also looking for co-development partners for further joint development or out-licensing and commercialization of her products.
For more information, please contact:
Remko van Leeuwen
CEO +31 71 2040 105 Extension 100
press@madam-therapeutics.com
http://www.madam-therapeutics.com
Investor relations: investors@madam-therapeutics.com