8th ASM Biodefense & Emerging Diseases Conference
For the third time in less than 2 years Pherecydes Pharma is presenting at a biofense conferences, in the USA.
Hôpital Robert Debré collaboration
On February 7th, 2010, Robert Debré Hospital (Paris-France) and Pherecydes Pharma signed an agreement to select bacteriophage variants for eradicating different Escherichia coli strains.
Applications
Biodrugs and vaccines
TAPE is applicable to any known gene type, for creating variability in proteins (such as phage homing fibrils), enzymes, antibodies (including MAB)..., while preserving macromolecule function and or activity.
TAPE leads to creating analogues of bio macromolecules, while preserving their activities.
Subsequent analogues can be tested to detect those with better inhibition or activation parameters.
Fields of applications:
Diagnostics, biocides, biosecurity: The detector-killer principle
Detection mechanism: a fast diagnostic tool.
Nanotechnology
Through our total control of T4 phage recombination and replication process, we can engineer phages to make them suitable for a variety of nanoapplications. For instance:
TAPE is applicable to any known gene type, for creating variability in proteins (such as phage homing fibrils), enzymes, antibodies (including MAB)..., while preserving macromolecule function and or activity.
TAPE leads to creating analogues of bio macromolecules, while preserving their activities.
Subsequent analogues can be tested to detect those with better inhibition or activation parameters.
Fields of applications:
- Biodrug discovery for any type of therapeutic approach encoded by genes,
- Vaccines: human or animals,
- Antibody development for diagnostic kits, molecular research tools...
Diagnostics, biocides, biosecurity: The detector-killer principle
Detection mechanism: a fast diagnostic tool.
- The phage capside is engineered to encode a fluorescent protein.
- Upon finding its host, the phage replicates, giving birth, 20 min later, to a fluorescent progeny (50 to 300 progeny particles per bacterium)
- This gives rise to a massive, highly localised, increase in fluorescence, revealing the presence of a bacterial threat.
- Our phages may be engineered to recognise and infect a specific infectious gram- bacterial host.
- Once phages replicate into host, bacterial contamination is eradicated.
- According to selection pressure, a targeted bacteria strain may become resistant to the therapeutic phage, as they already do with antibiotics.
- A new phage recombination and selection process is then carried out, to select a new phage variant line that controls the resistant bacteria.
- The new variotype is capable of killing the resistant bacteria and the infectious disease is controlled again.
- A tremendous advantage compared to antibiotic therapeutic approaches.
- Xanthomonas axonopodis diffenbachiea, Erwinia spp...
Nanotechnology
Through our total control of T4 phage recombination and replication process, we can engineer phages to make them suitable for a variety of nanoapplications. For instance:
- As delivery vehicles for protein and DNA vaccines and gene therapy vectors,
- As nanodevices to be used in electronics,
- As nanowires with applications in microcircuits.