Bacterial vaginosis is the most common inflammation of the reproductive organs in women of childbearing age. These infections are usually treated with antibiotics, but 50 percent of antibiotic therapies for patients with recurrent vaginosis are now ineffective. One possible reason: Gardnerella bacteria, which are among the most important causes of vaginosis, can very quickly develop resistance to the standard antibiotic metronidazole, and clindamycin - an alternative antibiotic - cannot penetrate the biofilm of Gardnerella bacteria.
The Austrian company PhagoMed is therefore pursuing a completely different approach to therapy: the startup company has successfully synthesized the endolysin "PM-477" - an enzyme produced by specialized bacteriophages, with which these phages specifically lyse only bacteria of the genus Gardnerella. This phage-derived active ingredient thus offers the advantage that it does not attack benign bacteria of the natural vaginal flora, nor does it create resistance. In addition, previous studies have shown high efficacy against biofilms in vaginal fluid from vaginosis patients.
In this DiagnosTech pitch, Dr. Lorenzo Corsini will present the development of this new compound as an example of the innovative phage-based therapeutic approaches of his company PhagoMed Biopharma GmbH.
Speaker: Dr. Lorenzo Corsini / PhagoMed Biopharma GmbH / Vienna
Language: English
Date: September 22, 2021 from 2 - 3 p.m.
Venue: online via GoTo Meeting and on-site at ZAF.
Registration: no longer possible