Antibiotic POL7080
POL7080 is a Pseudomonas specific antibiotic with a novel mode of action. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a bacterium commonly found in the environment which can give rise to serious, life-threatening infections in humans and animals. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is regarded as an opportunistic pathogen and serious infections in various types of tissue develop in patients with compromised or reduced immune system, e.g. in case of AIDS or cancer treatment.
The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) listed Pseudomonas aeruginosa as one of the six most dangerous drug-resistant microbes. Pseudomonas like other Gram-negative bacteria is difficult to treat with existing antibiotics and many bacteria develop resistance after unsuccessful treatment. Thus, therapy of Pseudomonas infections is increasingly difficult.
POL7080 is the first of a new class of antibiotics derived from the PEM Technology platform. In preclinical studies the compound was highly active on a broad panel of clinical isolates including multi-drug resistant Pseudomonas bacteria with outstanding in vivo efficacy in septicemia, lung and thigh infection models. Its novel mode of action has been published in Science (2010, 327, 1010-1013, DOI). POL7080 is currently in a Phase I clinical trial in Europe.
