Frontier IP Group Plc’s (LON:FIPP) portfolio firm, Amprologix, has won a £1.2mln UK government contract to accelerate the development of a new antibiotic to tackle antimicrobial resistant MRSA and other superbugs.
The firm, which commercialises university technology, said the Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) funded by the Department of Health and Social Care would be used to make Amprologix’s NI01 antibiotic ready for phase 1 human clinical trials in early 2021.
WATCH: Frontier IP's Amprologix secures contract to take its antibiotic into the clinic
Epidermicin NI01 is the lead candidate in a new family of antibiotics being developed by Amprologix, with the first product expected to be a nasal cream to prevent infections from methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
Epidermicin, derived from bacteria found on human skin, was shown to be as effective with a single dose as six doses of the current gold standard treatment in a relevant model of MRSA infection.
The award also comes shortly after the UK’s health secretary Matt Hancock unveiled a five-year plan to tackle drug-resistant superbugs and encourage firms to develop new treatments.
Neil Crabb, chief executive of Frontier IP, said the award validated the firm’s approach to IP commercialisation, adding that there was “huge potential to prove the efficacy of epidermicin and identify further new antibiotics that can be manufactured at scale”.
In early trading Monday, Frontier IP shares were up 1.2% at 84p.