Wintermute Biomedical – Missoula scientists patent treatment for dangerous MRSA infection

Two Missoula scientists have patented an innovative new way to combat infections from a common and potentially dangerous bacteria, methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, often called MRSA.

Their company, Wintermute Biomedical http://wintermutebiomedical.com/ , is one of the only biomedical research facilities in Missoula and they’ve been using a $60,000 grant from the Montana Board of Research and Commercialization Technology http://businessresources.mt.gov/mbrct/default.mcpx to fund their testing.

By David Erickson

Full Story: http://missoulian.com/business/local/missoula-scientists-patent-treatment-for-dangerous-mrsa-infection/article_b37c27b0-c1ce-11e3-9de1-001a4bcf887a.html

***

In
–
Vivo Testing of a Novel Compound, WT13
–
12, as a Treatment for Infected
Wounds
–
Thomas F.
R
au, Wintermute Biomedical, Missoula
–
$42,786
The primary goal of this project is the pre
–
clinical in
–
vivo testing of a novel anti
–
bacterial, anti
–
fungal com
pound to decrease both traumatic and surgical wound
infections. In preliminary in
–
vitro studies
project researchers
have found a lead
compound, WT13
–
12, that completely inhibited the growth of methicillin resistant
staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Group A bet
a strep, and Group B beta strep. WT13
–
12
also exhibits complete inhibition of the anaerobic bacteria Bacteroides fragilis and the
yeast, Candida albicans. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that hospital
acquired (nosocomial) infection
s
occur
in approximately 2 million (10%) patients each
year. Of these patients, 99,000 will die from the infection. The financial cost of treating
patients with active nosocomial infections is estimated at
$
8
–
$
11 billion a year. Surgical
site infections comprise
20% of all infections and account for
$
1.6
–
$2.2 billion
a year in
treatment costs and extended hospitalization. One of the primary microbial agents for
hospital acquired infections is MRSA, which is resistant to every commercially available
anti
–
biotic wit
h the exception of vancomyocin. Clinically, vancomyocin is a toxic
antibiotic that must be closely regulated to avoid liver damage. Furthermore, many health
care providers fear that, at some point in the near future, vancomyocin resistant
enterococcus (VRE
) will transmit genetic components to MRSA and thus enable MRSA
to become resistant to vancomyocin. Once this occurs, there will be no compound
available to treat MRSA wound infections. Thus, there is a clear need to develop novel
treatments that are effec
tive against anti
–
biotic resistant bacteria. WT13
–
12 is non
–
toxic,
and does not utilize traditional antibiotics and thus may circumvent the development of
antibiotic resistance. This project will test the efficacy of WT13
–
12 at stopping bacterial
and funga
l wound infections. If successful this project will provide the necessary data to
file an investigational new drug with the FDA and proceed into phase I human clinical
trials.

http://businessresources.mt.gov/content/MBRCT/docs/FY2014FundedProjects.pdf