AmpliPhi Biosciences Corporation and Intrexon Corporation, announced the formation of channel collaboration to develop new bacteriophage-based therapies to target specific antibiotic resistant infections, some of the most widespread and deadly types of infections. The collaboration seeks to develop bacteriophage-containing human therapeutics for use in the treatment of bacterial infections associated with acute and chronic wounds, the treatment of acute and chronic P aeruginosa lung infections, and the treatment of infections of C. difficile. Under the terms of the ECC agreement, AmpliPhi will receive an exclusive, worldwide license to utilize Intrexon's proprietary technology and expertise toward the standardized production of wild type phages, as well as for the design and production of genetically modified bacteriophages. Intrexon will apply its proprietary technologies, including the UltraVector platform, DNA and RNA MOD engineering, protein engineering, inducible gene systems, genome engineering, and cell systems engineering, to AmpliPhi's bacteriophage programs.

AmpliPhi Biosciences Corporation Presents at EBD Group AG's Biotech showcase 2013, Jan-09-2013 01:45 PM. Venue: Parc 55 Wyndham Union Square Hotel, San Francisco, California, United States.

AmpliPhi Biosciences Corporation presented encouraging data from a pre-clinical animal model study of acute infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa at the 26th Annual North America Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Conference held 11-13 October in Florida, USA (NACFC). The data generated in collaboration with scientists at Institut Pasteur in Paris and using AmpliPhi's phage discovery platform show that the company's proprietary mix of bacteriophage is able to clear lung infection with efficacy comparable or superior to a high dose of an antibiotic shown to be effective against the infecting bacteria in the laboratory. Furthermore, the bacteriophage therapy rapidly eradicates bacteria in the oropharynx and lungs of the infected mice. In fact, its action appears to be faster than the antibiotic, showing efficacy at just six hours, with reduced dissemination of the infection. Bacteriophages are naturally occurring viruses that infect bacteria, and only bacteria. Although highly specific for their bacterial hosts, bacteriophages have been identified for a huge range of bacteria. Many bacteriophages rapidly kill their bacterial host, amplifying themselves in the process. Bacteriophages are unaffected by antibiotic resistance and are able to disrupt bacterial biofilms. Antibiotics are most effective against bacteria prior to biofilm formation. Once the biofilm has formed antibiotics are far less effective. Biofilms are a major line of defense for bacteria, contributing to antibiotic resistance. They are a major element in infection of the cystic fibrosis lung. Bacteriophages are able to penetrate biofilms and replicate locally to high levels, to produce strong local therapeutic effects. Biofilm degradation by bacteriophages kills bacteria and can also restore the efficacy of antibiotics. The study was designed to test a proprietary phage mix in a respiratory model in mice using luminescent imaging of infection. The work was carried out in order to confirm that the mix of bacteriophages could be effective against an infection with the PAK strain (carrying a luminescent reporter gene; PAK-lumi) of P. aeruginosa in a murine respiratory model. Mice were infected intranasally with P. aeruginosa. The bacteria carried the PAK-lumi reporter gene to express a fluorescent protein, allowing bacterial levels to be quantitated in the mice at time points up to 24 hours. Bacteriophage mixture was delivered to one of three groups of infected mice, the other groups receiving either ciprofloxacin or saline (control). A fourth group was infected but received no subsequent treatment. Infection levels were assessed by luminescence at 24h post-infection. Based on these data, AmpliPhi aims to progress phage therapeutics from its discovery and development platform towards a human clinical trial within the next 12-15 months. AmpliPhi's strategy is to develop a targeted pipeline of therapeutics in-house and to secure collaborations with third parties to maximise the potential of its innovative bacteriophage platform technology.