Phico gets Wellcome Trust grant

UK firm Phico Therapeutics says it has been granted a Wellcome Trust Strategic Translational Award totalling just over GBP1.0 million ($1.4  million) to cover Phase I and II trials of its lead candidate SASPject  PT1.2 for decolonization of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus  and S. aureus. PT1.2 is based on a new class of antibacterial proteins  called SASPs which bind to bacterial DNA resulting in rapid "speed of  kill." If successful, the agent will provide a major new weapon in the  fight against MRSA and other bacterial infections, according to the  company.

Ted Bianco, director of technology transfer at the Wellcome Trust,  commented: "there is an urgent need to develop innovative ways to manage  the transmission of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the hospital and  care-home environments. The approach being taken by Dr Fairhead and  colleagues is imaginative and original. If successful, this technology  may provide an important new tool in the fight against MRSA and other  pathogenic bacteria."