WASHINGTON, Dec. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- At the 45th Annual Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) conference, researchers from Elusys Therapeutics Inc., a developer of targeted anti-infective therapeutics, today described results of two preclinical studies of ETI-211, the Company's Heteropolymer (HP) antibody drug candidate targeting methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections.
In the United States, an estimated 300,000 patients contract nosocomial (hospital acquired) Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) infections each year resulting in approximately 12,000 deaths. S. aureus also requires significant treatment and hospitalization cost versus other infections, exceeding $48,000 per patient on average.
Elizabeth Posillico, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Elusys Therapeutics commented on the data, "The ETI-211 data presented today highlight the unprecedented efficacy of this Heteropolymer antibody product to clear methicillin-resistant S. aureus infections and provide a 'vaccine-like' immune protection against subsequent infection."
In a late-breaking poster presentation by Nehal Mohamed (1), Ph.D., of Elusys Therapeutics, entitled "A Heteropolymer directed against Staphylococcal Protein A prevents spread of blood-borne S. aureus to organs," Elusys scientists studied S. aureus distribution and clearance in ETI-211 treated mice. Four days after S. aureus infection, kidney, liver and spleens from animals pre-treated with ETI-211 showed no evidence of live bacteria whereas organs from control animals showed high bacteria counts. This data demonstrates the unique ability of HP antibodies to rapidly remove infectious agents from the bloodstream and deliver them to the liver where they are destroyed by liver macrophages. (Presented December 17, 2005 from 10:00 - 11:30 AM)
A second poster was presented by Steven M. Jones (2), Ph.D., of Elusys Therapeutics, entitled "A novel vaccination approach using an antibody conjugate targeting Staphylococcus aureus." Previously reported preclinical studies found that mice given ETI-211 were completely protected against a lethal challenge of S. aureus strains including methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and all animals survived. In this study, mice prophylactically treated with ETI-211 that survived an initial lethal MRSA challenge were subjected to a second lethal challenge of either MRSA or S. epidermidis (1 - 3 months later) with no additional drug treatment. All animals initially treated with ETI-211 survived the second infection while all controls died. This broad "vaccine-like" protection was found to be due, at least in large part, to the production of significant levels of antibodies that recognize S. aureus, and S. epidermidis, as a result of ETI-211 clearance of S. aureus bacteria during the first infection. (Presented December 17, 2005 from 11:30 AM -1:00 PM)
About HP Antibody Technology
Elusys' Heteropolymer antibody (HP) technology is a unique approach to the treatment of a variety of infectious diseases that enhances the effectiveness of the body's natural defense mechanisms to remove and destroy pathogens. An HP antibody drug consists of a monoclonal antibody specific to a red blood cell receptor (CR1) that is chemically linked to a second antibody or receptor that binds a particular pathogen.
After administration, the HP drug rapidly binds target pathogens to red blood cells and facilitates their clearance and destruction via liver macrophages. An animation of this technology is provided via the following link: http://www.elusys.com/technology_hp_animation.php
More About MRSA
MRSA is a type of bacteria that is resistant to almost all antibiotics. These antibiotics include methicillin and other more common antibiotics such as oxacillin, penicillin and amoxicillin. S. aureus infections, including MRSA, occur most frequently among persons in hospitals and healthcare facilities (such as nursing homes and dialysis centers) who have weakened immune systems.
About Elusys
Elusys is a privately-held biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of targeted anti-infective therapeutics using its proprietary Heteropolymer antibodies (HP) for the treatment of infectious disease. Current venture investors include Essex Woodlands Health Ventures LLC, Invesco Private Capital, Crescendo Ventures, EagleAdvisors, and the Legg Mason Emerald Fund. For more information on Elusys please visit www.elusys.com.
Elusys is currently raising approximately $15 million in additional venture capital funds from new investors and existing shareholders. Elusys was recently awarded $4.4M from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and $1M from the Department of Defense for advanced development of its Anthrax therapeutic, Anthim. To date, the Company has been awarded $20M from the U.S. Government for the development of novel therapeutics to combat bioterror agents.
Footnotes:
(1) Nehal Mohamed, et al. A Heteropolymer Directed against Staphylococcal Protein A Prevents spread of Blood-borne S. aureus to Organs, 45th Annual Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC), 2005: Poster LB-8
(2) Steven M. Jones, et al. A Novel Vaccination Approach using an Atibody Conjugate Targeting Staphylococcus aureas. 45th Annual Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC), 2005: Poster G-921
Elusys Therapeutics Inc.CONTACT: Bryan Murphy of LaVoie Group, mobile: +1-617-642-7173,+1-781-596-0200, ext. 105, bmurphy@lavoiegroup.com, for Elusys TherapeuticsInc.
