Tick Antifreeze Glycoprotein to Treat Antibiotic-Resistant Bacterial Infection

• Bacterial biofilm formation on indwelling devices is one of the mechanisms that cause antibiotic drug-resistance and bears annual healthcare burden $1 bn in the US.
• As bacteria dispersed from a biofilm usually rapidly become susceptible to antibiotics, drugs against biofilm formation provide an alternative opportunity to combat infectious diseases.
• A tick antifreeze glycoprotein IAFGP, and a derived synthetic peptide P1 function as an anti-virulence agent against diverse bacterial species by disrupting formation of biofilm.
• IAFGP and P1 can be used as potent anti-microbial agent, alone or in combination with other antibiotics such as Ciprofloxacin and Daptomycin.
• Intellectual property – PCT patent application has been filed (Publication WO 2015/095349)
• Reference: Heisig, Martin et al. (2014) Cell Report