The Agreement provides MGB Biopharma access to additional intellectual property (IP) owned by UoS relating to DNA Minor Groove Binders.
MGB Biopharma has already acquired rights to the proprietary minor groove binder (MGB) platform, developed at the UoS, with exclusive worldwide licensing rights for all anti-infective fields.
UoS has been carrying out further research to develop anti-infectives intended to provide and/or modify DNA Minor Groove Binders with an ability to overcome/prevent efflux pump resistance as drug development candidates. This Agreement provides MGB with anti-bacterial and anti-fungal rights to the IP arising from this research.
MGB Biopharma CEO Miroslav Ravic said: "We are delighted to be extending our relationship with the University of Strathclyde and to be in a position to progress its important research into a key mechanism of antibacterial resistance. This new Agreement will allow MGB biopharma to expand our anti-infectives portfolio by initially adding novel compounds targeting susceptible and resistant Gram-negative pathogens to add to our lead compound MGB-BP-3 which is effective against Gram-positive bacteria.
"Today’s agreement is a further important step for MGB Biopharma as we work to tackle antimicrobial resistance by bringing a number of truly novel antibiotics to market as quickly as possible."
Professor Colin Suckling, Research Professor at Strathclyde’s Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry, said: "We have been pleased to see the successful completion of the Phase 1 clinical trial for our lead compound for C Diff treatment. This has been made possible by the hard work of MGB Biopharma and we are now delighted to be able to continue our partnership with the company in the discovery and development of novel antibacterial and antifungal agents."
About Efflux pumps
Efflux pumps are transport proteins involved in the expulsion of toxic substrates (including virtually all classes of clinically relevant antibiotics) from within cells into the external environment. These proteins are key resistance mechanism in Gram-negative bacteria.