Ondine’s photodisinfection kills ESKAPE pathogens
Canadian life sciences company, Ondine Biomedical Inc. (LON: OBI), this week presented an in vitro study at the World Anti-Microbial Resistance Congress, in Maryland, USA on the effectiveness of its photodisinfection technology against the group of highly infectious and antibiotic-resistant bacteria known as ESKAPE pathogens.[i] ESKAPE pathogens are the most virulent and dangerous pathogens responsible for some of the deadliest healthcare-associated infections (HAIs).
Results of the study showed that Ondine’s photodisinfection technology eliminated all ESKAPE pathogens with a high degree of efficacy. This parallels the top-line results from a US Phase 2 study announced earlier this week which showed that a single, 5-minute treatment of Ondine’s nasal photodisinfection significantly reduces Staphylococcus aureus (including MRSA) in pre-surgical patients.
“Overuse of antibiotics over decades has caused adaptation in many microbes, and we now see multidrug resistance (MDR) evolving into extensive drug resistance (XDR) in bacteria, rendering even the most powerful drugs we have ineffective,” stated Dr. Nicolas Loebel, Ondine’s CTO and President. “Extended spectrum β-lactamase and carbapenemase-producing Gram negative bacteria are extremely serious threats in hospital environments.
“We have now shown that photodisinfection is capable of safely eliminating these ESKAPE microbes in minutes, without provoking resistance. We also demonstrated this in biofilm – the tough polymeric matrix surrounding bacterial colonies making them very difficult to attack, along with specialized dormant cells called persister cells that cause long term recalcitrant infections. We believe photodisinfection can play a significant role in combatting these drug-resistant pathogens and reducing global reliance on antibiotics.”
ESKAPE pathogens are deadly bacteria with rapidly growing multidrug-resistant properties, making them extremely hard to treat. According to the CDC, ESKAPE pathogens cause over 2 million illnesses and approximately 23,000 deaths in the US annually.[ii] Infections caused by ESKAPE pathogens are associated with longer infection lengths and significantly higher fatality rates.[iii] They are especially dangerous to children, and immunocompromised or critically ill people.
The World Anti-Microbial Resistance Congress is the largest annual antimicrobial-resistance (AMR) conference. Since 2015, it has been the go-to conference globally for all stakeholders in the AMR space to meet, brainstorm ideas and formulate initiatives that can effectively tackle antimicrobial resistance.