Phico Therapeutics is pioneering a radical approach to antibacterial therapy which it believes could form the basis of a solution. By targeting and inactivating the bacterial DNA directly, irrespective of its sequence, mutations in the bacterial DNA don’t prevent SASP from working. Phico’s SASPject products can directly tackle the genetic cause of antibiotic resistance.

The company, founded in Cambridge by Dr Heather Fairhead, is built around the SASPject™ platform, which utilises a unique anti-bacterial protein, SASP, which targets and deactivates bacterial DNA stopping bacteria from metabolising or reproducing. Phico has raised over £22 M from business angels, venture investment, high net-worth individuals, the Wellcome Trust and Government grants. Phico’s goal is to advance the science of antibacterial therapy to help overcome the problem of bacterial resistance.

SASPject™ PT3 is being developed against  Pseudomonas aeruginosa. These infections can involve any part of the human body, but most commonly cause urinary tract, lung, bloodstream, wound/burn, and intra-abdominal infections. P. aeruginosa is responsible for a number of hospital-acquired infections with its incidence in intensive care units having risen sharply and its incidence almost doubling between the mid 1970’s and early 2000’s. The increasing incidence of P. aeruginosa of strains showing multi-drug resistance against commonly used first-line antibiotics has resulted in the U.S. CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) classifying P. aeruginosa as a serious threat to human health. The PT3 project has been supported by Innovate UK.

SASPject™ PT4 and SASPject™ PT5 are being developed for systemic (intravenous) use against both Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli  respectively. These bacteria cause a wide range of infections, which can be serious or life threatening as isolates which are resistant to almost all conventional antibiotics continue to spread around the globe, resulting in very poor treatment outcomes. PT4 and PT5 projects are supported by a Wellcome Translation Award.

SASPject™ PT1.2 targets Staphylococcus aureus, including MRSA. MRSA infections are now a global problem in hospitals, with thousands of fatalities recorded as a result of their presence, and their control is vital to many national health systems. SASPject™ PT1.2 will be used for the intra-nasal decolonisation of the bacteria. A Phase I clinical trial has been successfully completed.