Carlina Technologies, a biotechnology company specializing in the development of nanomedicines, has signed a partnership agreement with Atlangram for the development of innovative pharmaceutical forms of antibiotics for the targeting of osteoarticular infectious diseases. The agreement includes an out-licensing option to Atlangram for Carlina’s lipid nanocapsule technology platform Soludots.

Carlina’s Soludots allows millions of molecules of a given antibiotic to be loaded inside a single nanocapsule that has already proved to be highly safe. Preliminary studies in an efficacy model showed an increased efficacy of an antibiotic when delivered to the osteoarticular infected site using Soludots, improving the chances of success of the treatment compared to corresponding treatment using the ‘free’ antibiotic. In addition, the nanocapsule encapsulation decreases the risk of tissue irritation from the antibiotics, and improves the pharmacology of antibiotics they convey, including preventing bacterial resistance.

Antibacterial combination therapy is one of the most promising solutions currently presented to antibacterial resistance. Soludots has the potential to provide a solution that enables multiple antibiotics to be delivered simultaneously to the same region. In addition, by improving their pharmacological properties including increased efficacy, improved pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic parameters and minimalized side effects, Soludots can also provide a second life to existing antibiotics by reformulations that use drug delivery nanotechnologies as well as developing new antibacterial drugs that show poor water-solubility and thus difficulties in administration.

Sales in the antibiotics sector have grown from USD 41.5 billion in 2009 to an expected USD 65.5 billion by the end of 2014. However, very few classes of antibiotics have entered the market in the last few years, whilst bacteria are becoming increasingly resistant to multiple antibiotics. It is estimated that 50,000 patients die each year in the EU and US alone as a result of a serious bacterial and resistant nosocomial infection. This has proved of great public concern. In one example, the UK public voted to award the GBP 10 million Longitude Prize 2014 to resistant antibiotic prevention above solutions for dementia, paralysis, world food and clean water shortages and aviation pollution.

“The agreement between Carlina and Atlangram is the latest extension of the applicability of our Soludots platform in an increasing number of therapeutic domains beyond oncology. This follows our announcement in November 2014 of our partnership with GenBiotech for our Peptidots product in the bone cartilage repair area,” said Olivier Meyer, President & CEO of Carlina Technologies. “This is the latest deal that keeps Carlina at the forefront of the delivery of nanoantibiotics, with the potential to provide a solution to a market with an increasing unmet medical need currently worth over USD 60 billion. Therapies for osteoarticular infectious diseases are strongly affected by increased bacterial resistance, and this will be a key market to spearhead nanoantibiotics.”

Atlangram specializes in the efficacy testing of antimicrobials. A number of research and development studies have been conducted for major pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, including Pfizer, Sanofi Aventis, Novartis, Cubist, Forest Laboratories Inc., and GSK.