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Purdue University
Ultrapotent compound may help treat C. diff, reduce recurrence
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 [September 26, 2020]
Clostridioides difficile, or C. diff, is the leading cause of health
care-associated infection in the U.S.
Only two antibiotics, vancomycin and fidaxomicin, are FDA-approved
for the treatment of C. diff, but even these therapies suffer from
high treatment failure and recurrence.
Now, Purdue University innovators have advanced novel compounds that
they developed to help treat patients with C. diff, one of only four
bacteria considered an urgent threat by the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention. Their work is published in the Journal of
Medicinal Chemistry.
“Our compounds have several advantages, including ultrapotent
activities with minimum inhibitory concentration values as low as
0.003 μg/mL,” said Herman O. Sintim, the Drug Discovery Professor of
Chemistry in Purdue’s Department of Chemistry. “Our compounds also
do not kill good bacteria at concentrations that kill C. diff and
performed significantly better than current antibiotics in
preventing recurrence. These are significant advantages for patients
dealing with this difficult bacterial infection.”
The most promising of the Purdue compounds, containing
trifluoromethylthio functional group, is HSGN-218. Sintim said it
has been shown to be one of the most potent compounds ever produced
for use against C. diff.
“This is part of our work to create new solutions to treat diseases
and infections that are resistant to current treatment options,”
said Sintim, who is a member of the Purdue University Center for
Cancer Research and the Purdue Institute for Drug Discovery. “This
work provides a potential clinical lead for the development of C.
diff therapeutics and also highlights dramatic drug potency
enhancement via halogen substitution.”
The researchers patented their compounds through the Purdue Research
Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization, which is looking
for partners to advance the technology. For more information,
contact Joseph Kasper at OTC at jrkasper@prf.org and mention track
code 2019-SINT-68535.
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George Naclerio, a researcher on Sintim’s team, has been awarded a National
Institutes of Health T32 training grant to help facilitate the development of
this technology.
About Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization
The Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization operates
one of the most comprehensive technology transfer programs among leading
research universities in the U.S. Services provided by this office support the
economic development initiatives of Purdue University and benefit the
university's academic activities through commercializing, licensing and
protecting Purdue intellectual property. The office recently moved into the
Convergence Center for Innovation and Collaboration in Discovery Park District,
adjacent to the Purdue campus. In fiscal year 2020, the office reported 148
deals finalized with 225 technologies signed, 408 disclosures received and 180
issued U.S. patents. The office is managed by the Purdue Research Foundation,
which received the 2019 Innovation and Economic Prosperity Universities Award
for Place from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. In 2020,
IPWatchdog Institute ranked Purdue third nationally in startup creation and in
the top 20 for patents. The Purdue Research Foundation is a private, nonprofit
foundation created to advance the mission of Purdue University. Contact otcip@prf.org
for more information.
About Purdue University
Purdue University is a top public research institution developing practical
solutions to today’s toughest challenges. Ranked the No. 5 Most Innovative
University in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Purdue delivers
world-changing research and out-of-this-world discovery. Committed to hands-on
and online, real-world learning, Purdue offers a transformative education to
all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and
most fees at 2012-13 levels, enabling more students than ever to graduate
debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next
giant leap at purdue.edu.
[Writer: Chris Adam
Source: Herman O. Sintim |
