PolyMedix, Inc. (PYMX.OB) Awarded National Science Foundation Grant for Development of Biomimetic Antimicrobial Sutures

The Company’s two leading defensin-mimetic candidates have both completed Phase 1B clinical trials and Phase 2 is slated for this year:

• PMX-60056 anticoagulant reversing agent
• PMX-30063 antibiotic that mimics a defense protein from the host immune system

PolyCides™ are a family of antimicrobial polymers developed by PYMX. The grant (commencing at the start of July this year) will be applied towards developing a specific class of PolyCides ideally suited for antimicrobial suture applications, and will support an estimated six months of research.

The overarching goal of the R&D effort will focus on creating antimicrobial sutures with full-spectrum control capability for the sort of pathogenic agents typical of surgical site infections (SSIs), and will also negate much of the potential for bacteria to develop a resistance due to the unique biomimetic functionality of the PolyCide polymer materials.

SSIs are the number three cause of hospital-acquired infections, often leading to serious complications and even death. Because 60% of SSIs are at the incision site, such antimicrobial sutures with robust characteristics may go a long way toward solving this problem in one fell swoop.

President and CEO of PYMX, Nicholas Landekic, expressed delight at reception of the grant, noting that this is the 12th such grant awarded, and confirmed the NSF’s commitment to helping spearhead forward momentum of this important biotechnology. Landekic also indicated his confidence that further defensin-mimetic work enabled by the grant would produce important fruits for clinicians to solve extant SSI problems.

Contingent upon success of ongoing research, PYMX looks to exploiting the full potential of this technology for wound closure and infection control applications across the board, with catheters and implants being the next and most immediate potential applications.