Name of Intellectual Property: Novel, Broad-Spectrum Antibiotics and Novel Targets in RNA Polymerase

Submitted by: Michael Pazzani, Vice President for Research and Graduate and Professional Education, Rutgers University

Inventor Information: Richard H. Ebright, Professor, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Waksman Institute of Microbiology Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers University

Non-Confidential Technology Summary: Rutgers scientists have discovered several agents that have strong antibiotic activity against a wide array of infectious bacteria and exhibit little or no cross-resistance with current antibiotics. Further, they have identified the novel targets in RNA polymerase (”Switch Region” and “RNA-Exit Channel”) that confer susceptibility to various antibiotic agents. The target and unique mechanism of action may enable the further development of broad-spectrum antibacterial agents. The target is found in many diverse pathogens that are becoming increasingly resistant to current antibiotics, including a host of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.

Why is this important or intriguing? There is an absolutely urgent unmet clinical need for new classes of antibiotics effective against bacterial pathogens resistant to current antibiotics.

Synopsis of Business Opportunity: Development of novel treatments and discovery tools for increasingly drug-resistant pathogens is critical global imperative representing a major opportunity for health improvement worldwide. In the U.S., hospital-acquired bacterial infections strike 2 million persons annually, resulting in 90,000 deaths and $5 billion in medical costs. Worldwide, the bacterial infectious disease tuberculosis kills nearly 2 million persons each year. One third of the world’s population currently is infected with tuberculosis, and the World Health Organization projects that there will be nearly 1 billion new infections by 2020, 200 million of which will result in serious illness, and 35 million of which will result in death. Bacterial infectious diseases also are potential instruments of bioterrorism.

Ownership: Rutgers University owns all IP.

Patent Status: There are eight (8) patents and applications covering novel compounds and targets.

Contact Information:

Thomas Richardson
Biomedical Business Development
Office of Technology Commercialization
Rutgers University
3 Rutgers Plaza, ASB III, 3rd Floor
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
USA

E-mail: richardson@ocltt.rutgers.edu
Phone: 732-445-6400 ext. 106
Web: http://otc.rutgers.edu/default.php

Posted January 27th, 2009 under Hot IP, Pharmaceutical