Technology

Therapeutic peptides – derived from human motifs – for local application in dermatology, wound healing and anti-infection

The common theme of therapeutic peptides for local application enables Pergamum to capture synergies. The development programs benefit from international expertise at corporate level, cost savings by sharing resources, and a cross-functional knowledge base.

The peptides in development are structurally derived from human motifs and optimized in terms of their biopharmaceutical properties. All of the peptides have multifunctional properties. These include modulation of inflammation and other immune functions, fibrinolysis and wound healing. Importantly, all of the peptides exhibit potent antimicrobial activity, offering beneficial effects in both anti-infection and wound healing.

These anti-infective agents are unique in that they seem to avoid antimicrobial resistance. This is due to their particular mechanism of targeting microorganisms – binding to microbial membranes in an unspecific way using the intrinsic properties of the membranes.

The peptides in development have a broad spectrum of bactericidal (gram(+) and gram(-)) and fungicidal activity. Their targeting mechanism clearly distinguishes them from classical antibiotics, which are associated with increasing resistance development limiting their use in medical care.

Increasing bacterial resistance against classical antibiotics is highlighted by the fact that more than 50% of Staphylococcus aureus isolates found in Sweden, today, are fusidic acid-resistant. Internationally, the situation is even worse. The number of reported cases of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) per year in Sweden has more than tripled since 2000.