SBIR-STTR Award

Drug resistant pathogens represent a growing and significant risk. Post-treatment hospital infections account for over 90,000 deaths per year and an additional $30b in cost to the healthcare infrastructure. Techulon intends to commercialize a flexible system to significantly impact the $40b antibiotic marketplace. The company proposes the development of a scalable and adaptable system for neutralizing drug-resistant bacteria through a novel nanoparticle platform. The company will leverage the use of informatics for pathogen identification and a polymer-based platform for nanoparticle delivery of targeted peptide-RNA sequences specific for each threat. Techulon has assembled a qualified and experienced team to prove feasibility of pathogen identification, platform development, and in vitro feasibility. The company will develop a robust system capability from foundational technologies that exist today. Techulon has pioneered a new family of polymers that can overcome the major obstacles of in vivo RNA delivery. The company proposes a means to treat extracellular, intracellular and viral infections that can be quickly adapted to novel and engineered threats. The research will focus on advancing the technology readiness level by refining and demonstrating feasibility, leading to a Phase II in vivo demonstration.

Keywords:
RNA, antibiotic, drug-resistant pathogen

Infections caused by drug resistant bacteria create a $30b problem for the healthcare industry. Techulon has developed a Rapidly Adaptable NanoTherapeutic (RANT) approach to address this problem, which utilizes genomic targeting, on-demand synthesis, and nanotherapeutic delivery. Component feasibility studies conducted during Phase I demonstrated successful targeting and inhibition levels in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a pervasive infectious bacteria acquired in hospitals and problematic for military wound healing. The Phase II work is designed to demonstrate in vivo validation of Techulon?s nanotherapeutic platform by establishing safety parameters and demonstrating efficacy in murine-infection models. Optimizing the response time of RANT is emphasized in the study plan. The research objectives for Phase II include system integration of proven components and developing agents against other pernicious infections in military hospitals, including Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, to demonstrate the platform flexibility. Regulatory approval strategy is being developed and deployable-GMP production requirements will be established. Commercialization opportunities have been identified and the company has secured funds to address transition of the technology to broad military applications such as wound healing and burn trauma. The platform is also applicable to homeland defense applications such as unknown bio-terror threats. Commercial opportunities include clinical applications for hospital infections.

Keywords:
Nanotherapeutics, Drug-Resistant, Bacteria, Antisense, Informatics, Systemic Nanoparticle