Genesis Dental Technologies, LLC Launches New Web Site Featuring the AquaSept(TM) Independent Water Delivery System to Prevent Disease Transmission in Dental Water
NEWS RELEASE
ELMWOOD, Wis., June 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Researchers, microbiologists, dental professionals and organizations have known for decades about potential risks and concerns of disease transmission caused by dental water containing high levels of bacteria and biofilm. As health professionals became more aware of diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis/respiratory infections, hepatitis, bacterial endocarditis, legionnaires disease and pseudomonas-related diseases in immune-compromised patients, more CDC recommendations were issued and are now referred to as standard precautions. Still with all these precautions and the ability to measure the bacterial levels, lethal drug-resistant strains continue to spread around the country and are frequently reported in national news. A few months ago a hepatitis B transmission between two patients in one dental office was reported (The Journal of Infectious Diseases 2007; 195:1311- 1314). The route of transmission is still under investigation.
In order to reduce patient risk of disease transmission due to shared dental water, the CDC issued guidelines in December 2003 (see http://www.aquasept.com/, go to The Library, Links and Downloads page and review pages 28, 29, 30, and 46 of the PDF version of the CDC Guidelines). These guidelines specify the use of sterile irrigation fluids during any invasive procedure where tissue penetration is likely to occur. To comply with CDC Guideline, the dental professional can install an AquaSept(TM) Independent Water Delivery System. This system provides for the sterile delivery of irrigation fluids through a sterilized container, sterilized fluid delivery line and the sterilized dental handpiece. This allows the dental professional to provide each patient with separate, sterile dental water and practice the best possible dental water infection control standards for the benefit of the patient and all associates in the dental office.
There is a potential time bomb lurking in current dental office water systems. The current design of all built-in water systems is the bi-directional flow of fluid. While the largest portion of fluid is expelled out the end of the handpiece, friction causes a "passive retraction" of microscopic particles from the patient's mouth, through the dental instrument, up the water line and into the water reservoir. (See the "Biofilm" section of http://www.aquasept.com/). The continued use of the same water line and water reservoir among a group of patients results in cross contamination of the dental water among patients. The AquaSept(TM) Independent Water Delivery System prevents and protects patients from such cross contamination.
To quote a prominent dental professional with years of private practice and dental university experience: "In the 21st Century, the danger of infectious disease is heightened because of 1) the emergence of more dangerous microbes that defy medical treatment and can lead to a fatality, 2) a rise in patients who are immuno-compromised due to other conditions, and are therefore much more susceptible to disease with fatal consequences and 3) a rise in antibiotic-resistant strains." Robert Hasel, D.D.S.
Genesis Dental Technologies, LLC is a division of Genesis Industries, Inc. founded in June 1985 and is located in Elmwood, WI, about an hour east of the St. Paul/Minneapolis metro area.
For information on the AquaSept(TM) Independent Water Delivery System, please contact Genesis Dental Technologies, LLC at 715-639-2042, 1-800-523-8185 or email info@aquasept.com. For additional information visit http://www.aquasept.com/. Genesis Dental Technologies, LLC
CONTACT: John Dykstra, Sales and Marketing of Genesis Dental
Technologies, +1-715-639-2042, fax, +1-715-639-9205, johnd@aquasept.com
Web site: http://www.aquasept.com/
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Anacor's boron-based drug stops the rot
25/06/2007 - An unusual drug that contains a crucial boron atom can effectively treat fungal infections, and could also prove invaluable in the effort to counter antibacterial drug resistance.
Scientists from the young US pharma firm Anacor developed AN2690, the first in a new class of antibiotics that contain a crucial boron atom. Together with a team from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) outstation in Grenoble, France, the researchers have now discovered exactly how the drug works.
"We have discovered a new compound that has the potential to treat common chronic nail infections caused by fungi [onychomycosis]," said Dickon Alley, a researcher at Anacor Pharmaceuticals.
"Now that we know how AN2690 works, the same approach could be adapted to target other aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases with editing sites and also other pathogenic microbes," said Stephen Cusack, Head of EMBL.
"We are now working towards finding related antibacterial compounds that could help counter the problem of antibiotic resistance."
Alley explained that the compound kills fungi by blocking their ability to make proteins. It does this by blocking an enzyme called leucyl-tRNA synthetase, which is involved in translation, one of the last steps in the process of turning a gene's DNA code into a protein.
The process begins when the cell makes an RNA version of the gene's code, called messenger RNA (mRNA). Ribosomes, the cell's protein synthesis machinery, then translate the mRNA into protein by stitching together the amino acids in the order specified by the message. This requires the help of molecules called transfer RNAs (tRNAs), which link the mRNA to the correct amino acid.
Leucyl-tRNA synthetase is one of a group of enzymes called aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases that attach the correct amino acid to each tRNA. Some of these enzymes have two main functional parts, or active sites: a site that links the amino acid to the tRNA, and a separate editing site that proofreads this process and removes wrongly added amino acids.
To find out how exactly AN2690 blocks leucyl-tRNA synthetase Stephen Cusack, Head of EMBL Grenoble, and his team generated crystals of the enzyme bound to tRNA in the presence of AN2690.
They then used X-rays to examine the structure of the complex. Cusack and his colleagues found that AN2690 sticks in the editing site of the enzyme where it makes a very strong bond to the end of the tRNA, trapping it on the enzyme.
This stops the enzyme working and thus blocks protein synthesis, killing the fungal cell. The mechanism crucially depends on a boron atom that is part of AN2690, which is needed to link the compound to the tRNA.
According to Anacor, it is the first time that scientists have described such a mechanism, suggesting boron containing compounds as a promising new class of drug candidates. The drug itself is currently in Phase II trials.
The pharma industry in general is watching this approach keenly. In February, Schering-Plough paid over $575m ($40m upfront) to gain the exclusive global rights to AN2690 from Anacor. Historically, several other pharma companies have also shown an interest in aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase inhibitors.
Curiously, as far back as 1999, AstraZeneca (then plain Zeneca), had a patent issued for an assay to identify potential drugs aimed at this target. However, whether this technology bared any fruit is unclear.
In June 2006, AZ announced that its "genomic approach to anti-bacterials is yielding its first candidates". The company was referring to AZD1279, a bactericidal antibiotic from a new chemical class, which has showed good in vitro activity against resistant organisms including Streptococcus pneumoniae. AZ said at the time that the drug would enter Phase I clinical trials for respiratory infections in 2006.
The target for this drug was never disclosed however, and a spokesperson for AZ told DrugResearcher.com that the drug has now been scrapped, although she couldn't say why this decision had been taken.
Cubist Pharmaceuticals is, or at least was, interested in this target as well, having penned an academic article called 'Aminoacyl tRNA synthetases as targets for new anti-infectives' in a 1999 edition of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology journal. However, again, there is no mention of this target on their website and the company was unable to confirm whether this target was still being investigated.
Why Anacor's drug seems to be enjoying success where others have failed is not known. However, it is good news for onychomycosis sufferers, the patients AN2690 aims to treat initially. It affects approximately 7 to 10 per cent of the US population, including 48 percent of those over age 70. More than 90 percent of those cases are caused by two specific fungi: Trichophyton rubrum and Trichophyton mentagrophytes. However, current treatments are limited, according to Anacor.
Existing topical treatments only succeed in 12 per cent of cases, despite sales accounting for $300m (€223m). Whereas systemic treatments are more effective (in around half of all cases), they have known toxicity. Novartis' Lamisil (terbinafine) generated sales of $978m in 2006 but the same drug has, in rare cases caused liver failure. These have resulted in the need for a transplant and even death, although the relationship between the liver problems and the drug is "uncertain", according to the drug's approved label, as the patients' involved had serious pre-existing liver conditions.
Scientists from the young US pharma firm Anacor developed AN2690, the first in a new class of antibiotics that contain a crucial boron atom. Together with a team from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) outstation in Grenoble, France, the researchers have now discovered exactly how the drug works.
"We have discovered a new compound that has the potential to treat common chronic nail infections caused by fungi [onychomycosis]," said Dickon Alley, a researcher at Anacor Pharmaceuticals.
"Now that we know how AN2690 works, the same approach could be adapted to target other aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases with editing sites and also other pathogenic microbes," said Stephen Cusack, Head of EMBL.
"We are now working towards finding related antibacterial compounds that could help counter the problem of antibiotic resistance."
Alley explained that the compound kills fungi by blocking their ability to make proteins. It does this by blocking an enzyme called leucyl-tRNA synthetase, which is involved in translation, one of the last steps in the process of turning a gene's DNA code into a protein.
The process begins when the cell makes an RNA version of the gene's code, called messenger RNA (mRNA). Ribosomes, the cell's protein synthesis machinery, then translate the mRNA into protein by stitching together the amino acids in the order specified by the message. This requires the help of molecules called transfer RNAs (tRNAs), which link the mRNA to the correct amino acid.
Leucyl-tRNA synthetase is one of a group of enzymes called aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases that attach the correct amino acid to each tRNA. Some of these enzymes have two main functional parts, or active sites: a site that links the amino acid to the tRNA, and a separate editing site that proofreads this process and removes wrongly added amino acids.
To find out how exactly AN2690 blocks leucyl-tRNA synthetase Stephen Cusack, Head of EMBL Grenoble, and his team generated crystals of the enzyme bound to tRNA in the presence of AN2690.
They then used X-rays to examine the structure of the complex. Cusack and his colleagues found that AN2690 sticks in the editing site of the enzyme where it makes a very strong bond to the end of the tRNA, trapping it on the enzyme.
This stops the enzyme working and thus blocks protein synthesis, killing the fungal cell. The mechanism crucially depends on a boron atom that is part of AN2690, which is needed to link the compound to the tRNA.
According to Anacor, it is the first time that scientists have described such a mechanism, suggesting boron containing compounds as a promising new class of drug candidates. The drug itself is currently in Phase II trials.
The pharma industry in general is watching this approach keenly. In February, Schering-Plough paid over $575m ($40m upfront) to gain the exclusive global rights to AN2690 from Anacor. Historically, several other pharma companies have also shown an interest in aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase inhibitors.
Curiously, as far back as 1999, AstraZeneca (then plain Zeneca), had a patent issued for an assay to identify potential drugs aimed at this target. However, whether this technology bared any fruit is unclear.
In June 2006, AZ announced that its "genomic approach to anti-bacterials is yielding its first candidates". The company was referring to AZD1279, a bactericidal antibiotic from a new chemical class, which has showed good in vitro activity against resistant organisms including Streptococcus pneumoniae. AZ said at the time that the drug would enter Phase I clinical trials for respiratory infections in 2006.
The target for this drug was never disclosed however, and a spokesperson for AZ told DrugResearcher.com that the drug has now been scrapped, although she couldn't say why this decision had been taken.
Cubist Pharmaceuticals is, or at least was, interested in this target as well, having penned an academic article called 'Aminoacyl tRNA synthetases as targets for new anti-infectives' in a 1999 edition of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology journal. However, again, there is no mention of this target on their website and the company was unable to confirm whether this target was still being investigated.
Why Anacor's drug seems to be enjoying success where others have failed is not known. However, it is good news for onychomycosis sufferers, the patients AN2690 aims to treat initially. It affects approximately 7 to 10 per cent of the US population, including 48 percent of those over age 70. More than 90 percent of those cases are caused by two specific fungi: Trichophyton rubrum and Trichophyton mentagrophytes. However, current treatments are limited, according to Anacor.
Existing topical treatments only succeed in 12 per cent of cases, despite sales accounting for $300m (€223m). Whereas systemic treatments are more effective (in around half of all cases), they have known toxicity. Novartis' Lamisil (terbinafine) generated sales of $978m in 2006 but the same drug has, in rare cases caused liver failure. These have resulted in the need for a transplant and even death, although the relationship between the liver problems and the drug is "uncertain", according to the drug's approved label, as the patients' involved had serious pre-existing liver conditions.
MRSA test call for farm animals
All farm animals should be tested for a form of the superbug MRSA, an organic group has urged the government.
The Soil Association says the bug is widespread in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, from where some of the meat eaten in the UK is imported.
In the Netherlands, 39% of pigs tested positive for the bug which can be passed to humans.
And 13% of calves also tested positive for the bug, which is different to the strain found in hospitals.
Poultry meat
The studies found that 50% of farmers were also positive, some of whom have been resistant to antibiotics.
The Soil Association blamed the use of antibiotics in farming for the problem.
No MRSA has been found in British farm animals but poultry meat and pork is imported from infected countries.
The Food Standards Agency says people will not catch the bug from meat if it is prepared hygienically and cooked properly.
Source:- BBC News
The Soil Association says the bug is widespread in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, from where some of the meat eaten in the UK is imported.
In the Netherlands, 39% of pigs tested positive for the bug which can be passed to humans.
And 13% of calves also tested positive for the bug, which is different to the strain found in hospitals.
Poultry meat
The studies found that 50% of farmers were also positive, some of whom have been resistant to antibiotics.
The Soil Association blamed the use of antibiotics in farming for the problem.
No MRSA has been found in British farm animals but poultry meat and pork is imported from infected countries.
The Food Standards Agency says people will not catch the bug from meat if it is prepared hygienically and cooked properly.
Source:- BBC News
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Bird flu cases in southern Germany show highly pathogenic H5N1 variant
25 Jun 2007 bbj.hu
At least some of the cases of bird flu discovered this weekend near the southern city of Nuremberg involve a highly pathogenic variety of the H5N1 strain, Germany's Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection said Sunday.
All seven of the birds — five swans, one duck and one goose found dead on Friday and Saturday — had the H5N1 strain, and further tests were still ongoing to determine if they were infected with the highly pathogenic variety. The country's top veterinary laboratory, the Friedrich Loeffler Institute, confirmed that three wild birds - two swans and a goose - found in two lakes near Nuremberg had tested positive for the worst strain of the H5N1 virus – Reuters reports.
It is the first bird flu discovered in Germany this year, and the first report of wild birds infected this year within the European Union. The H5N1 strain has, however, been found in poultry farms in three other EU countries this year: Hungary, Britain and the Czech Republic, the European Commission said.
Thirteen EU nations were hit by bird flu last year — Austria, Denmark, Poland, Italy, Greece, Britain, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Hungary and France. Bird flu is believed to spread along bird migration routes. The H5N1 strain has decimated poultry stocks since 2003 and killed at least 191 people worldwide, most of them directly infected by sick birds in Asia. Experts fear, however, that the virus could mutate into a form easily transmitted between people. (iht.com)
At least some of the cases of bird flu discovered this weekend near the southern city of Nuremberg involve a highly pathogenic variety of the H5N1 strain, Germany's Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection said Sunday.
All seven of the birds — five swans, one duck and one goose found dead on Friday and Saturday — had the H5N1 strain, and further tests were still ongoing to determine if they were infected with the highly pathogenic variety. The country's top veterinary laboratory, the Friedrich Loeffler Institute, confirmed that three wild birds - two swans and a goose - found in two lakes near Nuremberg had tested positive for the worst strain of the H5N1 virus – Reuters reports.
It is the first bird flu discovered in Germany this year, and the first report of wild birds infected this year within the European Union. The H5N1 strain has, however, been found in poultry farms in three other EU countries this year: Hungary, Britain and the Czech Republic, the European Commission said.
Thirteen EU nations were hit by bird flu last year — Austria, Denmark, Poland, Italy, Greece, Britain, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Hungary and France. Bird flu is believed to spread along bird migration routes. The H5N1 strain has decimated poultry stocks since 2003 and killed at least 191 people worldwide, most of them directly infected by sick birds in Asia. Experts fear, however, that the virus could mutate into a form easily transmitted between people. (iht.com)
Friday, June 22, 2007
Microbes beating medicine
21 Jun 2007
Deaths from previously treatable infections will become more common unless there is investment in the science needed to tackle antibiotic resistance Europe's leading scientists have warned in a report published today (21 June 2007).
The report(1), produced by European Academies Science Advisory Council (EASAC), of which the Royal Society is a member, highlights the ever growing problem of antibiotic resistance in pathogens such as MRSA, Clostridium difficile, E-coli and infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, pneumonia and meningitis.
Scientists from across Europe are calling for the EU and Member States to provide greater support for the development of simple and cheap means of identifying specific infections as early as possible and greater support for drug companies who are seeking to develop new treatments. The report also urges greater awareness and monitoring of the problem, more prudent use of antibiotics, more effective containment of the spread of resistance and greater cooperation and coordination across Europe.
Hospital acquired infections are believed to account for 175,000 deaths in Europe each year, many of which are attributable to antibiotic resistance.
Professor Volker ter Meulen, President of the Leopoldina Academy of Sciences, Germany and Chair the report's working group, said: "The problem of antibiotic resistance is growing. Our concern is that the European policy makers are not doing enough to stimulate the development of new antibacterial drugs and encourage the sharing of information between Member States. This is vital to identify patterns and tackle resistance.
"For example, research and development for new antibiotic drugs is not an attractive option for drug companies in comparison with treatments for long-term chronic illnesses which offer a better return on investment. Drug companies will need to be incentivised to continue valuable antibiotic R&D."
Antibiotic resistance is not just a problem for hospitals and patients but for everyone. Business will be hit, with employees off sick. There is also the danger that antibiotic resistant pathogens could enter the food chain via livestock.
Professor Richard Moxon, based at the University of Oxford and a member of the working group, said: "It is crucially important to rebuild European academic capability in microbiology and clinical infectious disease infrastructure. But antibiotic resistance is not just a medical issue. Social habits may lead to increased cases of resistance such as the over-prescribing of general antibiotics instead of ones designed to treat specific pathogens. In some EU states antibiotics can even be bought without prescriptions.
"All factors that could lead to antibiotic resistance or be affected by it need to be considered. EU institutions and Government departments in Member States responsible for public health, environment, industry and scientific research have to work together to take action to tackle this problem."
In monitoring the trend of drug resistance across Europe, the observation and recording of resistance is extremely valuable. The European Commission is responsible for coordinating this surveillance, and gathers information from Member States to plot the spread of infections. However the report found that data collected is of a variable standard making comparisons between countries difficult.
"Knowing where the problems are most common is extremely valuable to predict possible impacts on the economy, to bring about changes in healthcare practice and inform research funders throughout Europe on where research funding should be focused," added Professor ter Meulen
Deaths from previously treatable infections will become more common unless there is investment in the science needed to tackle antibiotic resistance Europe's leading scientists have warned in a report published today (21 June 2007).
The report(1), produced by European Academies Science Advisory Council (EASAC), of which the Royal Society is a member, highlights the ever growing problem of antibiotic resistance in pathogens such as MRSA, Clostridium difficile, E-coli and infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, pneumonia and meningitis.
Scientists from across Europe are calling for the EU and Member States to provide greater support for the development of simple and cheap means of identifying specific infections as early as possible and greater support for drug companies who are seeking to develop new treatments. The report also urges greater awareness and monitoring of the problem, more prudent use of antibiotics, more effective containment of the spread of resistance and greater cooperation and coordination across Europe.
Hospital acquired infections are believed to account for 175,000 deaths in Europe each year, many of which are attributable to antibiotic resistance.
Professor Volker ter Meulen, President of the Leopoldina Academy of Sciences, Germany and Chair the report's working group, said: "The problem of antibiotic resistance is growing. Our concern is that the European policy makers are not doing enough to stimulate the development of new antibacterial drugs and encourage the sharing of information between Member States. This is vital to identify patterns and tackle resistance.
"For example, research and development for new antibiotic drugs is not an attractive option for drug companies in comparison with treatments for long-term chronic illnesses which offer a better return on investment. Drug companies will need to be incentivised to continue valuable antibiotic R&D."
Antibiotic resistance is not just a problem for hospitals and patients but for everyone. Business will be hit, with employees off sick. There is also the danger that antibiotic resistant pathogens could enter the food chain via livestock.
Professor Richard Moxon, based at the University of Oxford and a member of the working group, said: "It is crucially important to rebuild European academic capability in microbiology and clinical infectious disease infrastructure. But antibiotic resistance is not just a medical issue. Social habits may lead to increased cases of resistance such as the over-prescribing of general antibiotics instead of ones designed to treat specific pathogens. In some EU states antibiotics can even be bought without prescriptions.
"All factors that could lead to antibiotic resistance or be affected by it need to be considered. EU institutions and Government departments in Member States responsible for public health, environment, industry and scientific research have to work together to take action to tackle this problem."
In monitoring the trend of drug resistance across Europe, the observation and recording of resistance is extremely valuable. The European Commission is responsible for coordinating this surveillance, and gathers information from Member States to plot the spread of infections. However the report found that data collected is of a variable standard making comparisons between countries difficult.
"Knowing where the problems are most common is extremely valuable to predict possible impacts on the economy, to bring about changes in healthcare practice and inform research funders throughout Europe on where research funding should be focused," added Professor ter Meulen
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Kane Biotech Announces a Positive Independent Research Publication on Its DispersinB Technology
NEWS RELEASE
Jun 18, 2007 09:44 ET
WINNIPEG, MANITOBA--(Marketwire - June 18, 2007) - Kane Biotech Inc. (TSX VENTURE:KNE), a biotechnology company engaged in the development of products that prevent and disperse microbial biofilms, is pleased to announce an independent research publication on the Company's DispersinB technology, a patent pending anti-biofilm technology. The paper appeared in the recent edition of online scientific journal 'Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy' published by American Society for Microbiology.
The research findings reported in the publication, entitled "Synergistic activity of dispersin B and cefamandole nafate in the inhibition of staphylococcal growth on polyurethanes" co-authored by Dr. Gianfranco Donelli from the Department of Health, Istituto Superiore di Santa, Rome, Italy, and Dr. Jeff Kaplan from the Department of Oral Microbiology, the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ), demonstrates that DispersinB is not cytotoxic and that DispersinB treatment makes bacteria growing in biofilms more susceptible to an antibiotic such as cefamandole nafate.
"This research not only provides evidence that the DispersinB enzyme is non-toxic but also demonstrates that when DispersinB is combined with an antibiotic it enhances the activity of the antibiotic against biofilm-embedded bacteria such as Staphylococcus epidermidis" stated Dr. Kaplan, also the inventor of the technology. "These findings confirm that DispersinB-antibiotic combinations provide highly effective tools for preventing bacterial colonization of medical devices, including catheters."
"This study provides solid evidence that our technology is very effective in the fight against biofilms that attach to medical devices and also demonstrates that naturally occurring DispersinB is not cytotoxic." said Gord Froehlich, President and CEO of Kane Biotech. "Our database of scientific evidence continues to grow as we prepare this technology for commercialization."
DispersinB is a novel enzyme capable of both inhibiting and dispersing bacterial biofilms. Kane Biotech has a worldwide exclusive license to all human, animal and industrial applications of DispersinB from the UMDNJ. Kane Biotech is presently using dispersinB alone, and in combination with other antimicrobial agents to develop a proprietary medical device coating.
About Dr. Jeffrey Kaplan
Jeffrey Kaplan received a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1980 and a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the same institution in 1985. He received postdoctoral training in the Department of Microbiology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, N.Y., and in the Department of Microbiology at Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, N.Y. Dr. Kaplan worked for 10 years in the Oncology Department at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Pearl River, N.Y., before joining the Department of Oral Biology at New Jersey Dental School in 1999.
Dr. Kaplan's lab is studying the detachment and dispersal of bacterial cells from biofilms with an emphasis on the gram-negative periodontal pathogen Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans. His research is funded by the several grant agencies, including the National Institute of Health (NIH), USA. His discovery of DispersinB supported by the NIH grant was listed in the "NIH Annual Performance Report of 2004" as one of the thirteen achievements of the year.
About Kane Biotech Inc.
Kane Biotech is a biotechnology company engaged in the development of products to prevent and disperse microbial biofilms. Biofilms develop when bacteria, and other microorganisms, form a protective matrix that acts as a shield against attack. When in a biofilm, bacteria become highly resistant to antibiotics, biocides, disinfectants, high temperatures and host immune responses. This resiliency contributes to human health problems such as recurrent urinary tract infections, medical device associated infections and tooth decay.
Kane Biotech Inc. uses a patent protected technology based on molecular mechanisms of biofilm formation and methods for finding compounds that inhibit or disrupt biofilms. The Company has evidence that this technology has a great potential to significantly improve the ability to prevent and/or destroy biofilms in several medical and industrial applications.
Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Information
Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian provincial securities legislation (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). These forward-looking statements relate to, among other things, our objectives, goals, targets, strategies, intentions, plans, beliefs, estimates and outlook, including, without limitation, our anticipated future operating results, and can, in some cases, be identified by the use of words such as "believe," "anticipate," "expect," "intend," "plan," "will," "may" and other similar expressions. In addition, any statements that refer to expectations, projections or other characterizations of future events or circumstances are forward-looking statements.
These statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on information currently available to management. Certain material factors or assumptions are applied in making forward-looking statements, and actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from these expectations include, among other things: Kane's early stage of development, lack of product revenues and history of operating losses, uncertainties related to clinical trials and product development, rapid technological change, uncertainties related to forecasts, competition, potential product liability, additional financing requirements and access to capital, unproven markets, supply of raw materials, income tax matters, management of growth, partnerships for development and commercialization of technology, effects of insurers' willingness to pay for products, system failures, dependence on key personnel, foreign currency risk, risks related to regulatory matters and risks related to intellectual property and other risks detailed from time to time in Kane's filings with Canadian securities regulatory authorities, as well as Kane's ability to anticipate and manage the risks associated with the foregoing. Kane cautions that the foregoing list of important factors that may affect future results is not exhaustive. When relying on Kane's forward-looking statements to make decisions with respect to Kane, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events.
These risks and uncertainties should be considered carefully and prospective investors should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based upon what management believes to be reasonable assumptions, Kane cannot provide assurance that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. Kane undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement.
The TSX Venture Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
For more information, please contact
Kane Biotech Inc.
Justin Gagnon
Investor Relations Professional
(204) 478-5602
(204) 453-1314 (FAX)
Email: jgagnon@kanebiotech.com
Website: www.kanebiotech.com
Jun 18, 2007 09:44 ET
WINNIPEG, MANITOBA--(Marketwire - June 18, 2007) - Kane Biotech Inc. (TSX VENTURE:KNE), a biotechnology company engaged in the development of products that prevent and disperse microbial biofilms, is pleased to announce an independent research publication on the Company's DispersinB technology, a patent pending anti-biofilm technology. The paper appeared in the recent edition of online scientific journal 'Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy' published by American Society for Microbiology.
The research findings reported in the publication, entitled "Synergistic activity of dispersin B and cefamandole nafate in the inhibition of staphylococcal growth on polyurethanes" co-authored by Dr. Gianfranco Donelli from the Department of Health, Istituto Superiore di Santa, Rome, Italy, and Dr. Jeff Kaplan from the Department of Oral Microbiology, the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ), demonstrates that DispersinB is not cytotoxic and that DispersinB treatment makes bacteria growing in biofilms more susceptible to an antibiotic such as cefamandole nafate.
"This research not only provides evidence that the DispersinB enzyme is non-toxic but also demonstrates that when DispersinB is combined with an antibiotic it enhances the activity of the antibiotic against biofilm-embedded bacteria such as Staphylococcus epidermidis" stated Dr. Kaplan, also the inventor of the technology. "These findings confirm that DispersinB-antibiotic combinations provide highly effective tools for preventing bacterial colonization of medical devices, including catheters."
"This study provides solid evidence that our technology is very effective in the fight against biofilms that attach to medical devices and also demonstrates that naturally occurring DispersinB is not cytotoxic." said Gord Froehlich, President and CEO of Kane Biotech. "Our database of scientific evidence continues to grow as we prepare this technology for commercialization."
DispersinB is a novel enzyme capable of both inhibiting and dispersing bacterial biofilms. Kane Biotech has a worldwide exclusive license to all human, animal and industrial applications of DispersinB from the UMDNJ. Kane Biotech is presently using dispersinB alone, and in combination with other antimicrobial agents to develop a proprietary medical device coating.
About Dr. Jeffrey Kaplan
Jeffrey Kaplan received a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1980 and a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the same institution in 1985. He received postdoctoral training in the Department of Microbiology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, N.Y., and in the Department of Microbiology at Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, N.Y. Dr. Kaplan worked for 10 years in the Oncology Department at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Pearl River, N.Y., before joining the Department of Oral Biology at New Jersey Dental School in 1999.
Dr. Kaplan's lab is studying the detachment and dispersal of bacterial cells from biofilms with an emphasis on the gram-negative periodontal pathogen Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans. His research is funded by the several grant agencies, including the National Institute of Health (NIH), USA. His discovery of DispersinB supported by the NIH grant was listed in the "NIH Annual Performance Report of 2004" as one of the thirteen achievements of the year.
About Kane Biotech Inc.
Kane Biotech is a biotechnology company engaged in the development of products to prevent and disperse microbial biofilms. Biofilms develop when bacteria, and other microorganisms, form a protective matrix that acts as a shield against attack. When in a biofilm, bacteria become highly resistant to antibiotics, biocides, disinfectants, high temperatures and host immune responses. This resiliency contributes to human health problems such as recurrent urinary tract infections, medical device associated infections and tooth decay.
Kane Biotech Inc. uses a patent protected technology based on molecular mechanisms of biofilm formation and methods for finding compounds that inhibit or disrupt biofilms. The Company has evidence that this technology has a great potential to significantly improve the ability to prevent and/or destroy biofilms in several medical and industrial applications.
Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Information
Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian provincial securities legislation (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). These forward-looking statements relate to, among other things, our objectives, goals, targets, strategies, intentions, plans, beliefs, estimates and outlook, including, without limitation, our anticipated future operating results, and can, in some cases, be identified by the use of words such as "believe," "anticipate," "expect," "intend," "plan," "will," "may" and other similar expressions. In addition, any statements that refer to expectations, projections or other characterizations of future events or circumstances are forward-looking statements.
These statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on information currently available to management. Certain material factors or assumptions are applied in making forward-looking statements, and actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from these expectations include, among other things: Kane's early stage of development, lack of product revenues and history of operating losses, uncertainties related to clinical trials and product development, rapid technological change, uncertainties related to forecasts, competition, potential product liability, additional financing requirements and access to capital, unproven markets, supply of raw materials, income tax matters, management of growth, partnerships for development and commercialization of technology, effects of insurers' willingness to pay for products, system failures, dependence on key personnel, foreign currency risk, risks related to regulatory matters and risks related to intellectual property and other risks detailed from time to time in Kane's filings with Canadian securities regulatory authorities, as well as Kane's ability to anticipate and manage the risks associated with the foregoing. Kane cautions that the foregoing list of important factors that may affect future results is not exhaustive. When relying on Kane's forward-looking statements to make decisions with respect to Kane, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events.
These risks and uncertainties should be considered carefully and prospective investors should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based upon what management believes to be reasonable assumptions, Kane cannot provide assurance that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. Kane undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement.
The TSX Venture Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
For more information, please contact
Kane Biotech Inc.
Justin Gagnon
Investor Relations Professional
(204) 478-5602
(204) 453-1314 (FAX)
Email: jgagnon@kanebiotech.com
Website: www.kanebiotech.com
Monday, June 18, 2007
Antibiotics in failing health
By Karen Augé
Denver Post Staff Writer
The Denver Post
The last time a new tuberculosis drug was developed, Richard Nixon was in the White House and Dr. Michael Iseman was a young resident in a New York City hospital.
That drug, Rifampin, "was the biggest thing to hit TB in 30 years," said Iseman, now a doctor at National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver.
Since then, Iseman has become a recognized authority on TB and Rifampin has remained the centerpiece of TB treatment.
Now, however, a growing number of tuberculosis strains are not fazed by the drug - as in the highly publicized case of Andrew Speaker, who is being treated at National Jewish.
Tuberculosis isn't the only infection increasingly impervious to the antibiotics in medicine's arsenal.
In the past decade, federal agencies - such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and the Food and Drug Administration - have warned that antibiotic overuse has led to evolving drug-resistant bacteria.
At the same time, the agencies say, there is a dearth of research dollars for new antibiotics - creating a looming medical crisis.
"Infections that were once easily curable with antibiotics are becoming difficult, even impossible, to treat," the Infectious Disease Society of America warned in its report "Bad Bugs, No Drugs."
"The problem is dollars, not chemistry," said Christopher Spivey, a spokesman for the Boston-based Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics.
Antibiotics not as profitable
Antibiotic development requires huge investments of money, $400 million to $800 million, according to a study in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.
To provide as much income as drug companies get from the sale of one drug to a person who, for example, takes a weight-loss pill daily, a company would have to sell antibiotics to 200 to 500 people with an illness like pneumonia, Spivey said.
There are currently under development 50 drugs each for obesity, pain and Type II diabetes, according to PhRMA, a group representing the nation's leading drugmakers.
There are just nine new drugs in the works for tuberculosis and eight for malaria.
For staph infections and drug- resistant staph infections, PhRMA lists 23 drugs under development.
This isn't a new trend. FDA approval of new anti-bacterial drugs has dropped 56 percent in 20 years, according to a 2004 study by Brad Spellberg, a professor of medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Work on new TB drugs has languished in part because of the widespread, mistaken belief that the disease was no longer a problem in this country, said Mel Spigelman, director of research and development for the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development.
Iseman said that on the world market drugmakers are discouraged from developing antibiotics.
"There is a tendency - in global use - for knock-offs," Iseman said. "Companies simply choose not to honor patent protections and it's done under the seemingly noble rubric of, 'we have patients dying of - whatever disease - in our country and we can't afford your drug, so we're going to make our own.' "
In its report, the infectious-disease society recommended incentives, such as tax breaks, for antibiotic research and development.
Difficult to draw attention
Still, drug companies don't get much public sympathy these days, which could make it politically tough for members of Congress to grant those tax breaks, Iseman said.
Antibiotic development "won't get on the radar until there is a really good killing plague," Spivey said.
In that respect, Speaker may have unintentionally done a favor for TB drug research by drawing attention to the disease, Spivey said.
Since 2000, interest in TB has picked up, said the TB Alliance's Spigelman.
While only a handful of new TB drugs are in the pipeline, even that is progress, Spigelman said.
"In 2000, we had zero," he said.
This year, the National Institutes of Health will spend $158 million on TB- drug research. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has pledged $900 million over the next decade.
Four drug companies - Bayer, Novartis, AstraZeneca International and GlaxoSmithKline - now have units working on infectious diseases, including TB.
Bacteria, however, reproduce every 10 minutes or so, while it takes humans about 20 years to develop means to battle new strains, Iseman said.
"They have the ability to adapt to our drugs," he said. "So if you're in Vegas, you bet on the bugs."
Staff writer Karen Augé can be reached at 303-954-1733 or kauge@denverpost.com.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A history of antibiotics and drug resistance
1920s-'50s: Scientists harness the power of living organisms to fight bacteria, ushering in the era of antibiotics.
1928: Scottish bacteriologist Alexander Fleming, above, accidentally discovers that a mold juice he names penicillin can kill staphylococcus bacteria.
1940: Oxford University pathologist Howard Florey isolates pure penicillin and demonstrates how it can cure a wide range of pathogens, including strep infections, gonorrhea and syphilis.
1943: Penicillin becomes the first antibiotic to be put in widespread use.
1944: Russian-born microbiologist Selman Waksman, working in the United States with soil microbiologist Albert Schatz, discovers streptomycin, a powerful antibiotic that proves effective against tuberculosis.
1958: American molecular geneticist Joshua Lederberg wins the Nobel Prize in medicine for demonstrating the way bacteria interact and exchange genetic material - a key concept behind drug resistance.
1967: The first penicillin-resistant pneumonococcal bacteria are reported in Papua New Guinea.
1968: Drug-resistant Shigella diarrhea kills 12,500 people in Guatemala.
1970-72: Penicillin-resistant gonorrhea spreads around the world, transmitted in part by U.S. servicemen, who contract the disease from prostitutes in Southeast Asia.
1976: Several weeks after attending an American Legion convention in Philadelphia, 34 people die from a mysterious form of pneumonia that thwarts available treatments and comes to be known as Legionnaires' disease.
1980s-'90s: The public-health effects of drug-resistant bacteria become clear, prompting new concerns about infectious diseases.
1986: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Department of Agriculture establish a national anti-
microbial-resistance monitoring system to track food-borne microbes.
1988-95: Studies in Finland, the Netherlands and other European countries find increased drug resistance in farm animals. Many of the livestock are fed antibiotics as growth-promoters.
1990: Puppeteer Jim Henson, creator of the Muppets, dies of toxic-shock syndrome induced by an aggressive strain of streptococcus that acts too quickly for antibiotics to work.
1992: An influx of immigrants sparks a tuberculosis epidemic in New York and other cities, forcing local officials to remobilize dormant TB prevention efforts. The federal government is spending just $55,000 a year monitoring drug resistance.
1995: A form of staph infection that is resistant to methicillin results in almost a half-billion dollars in direct medical costs and claims 1,409 lives in New York City hospitals.
1996: Japanese bacterial geneticists detect the world's first staph infection capable of resisting the powerful antibiotic vancomycin.
1997: Health officials report the percentage of antibiotic-resistant cases has surged from 2 percent in 1991 to 43 percent in 1997.
1998: The Institute of Medicine contends that overuse of antibiotics has brought about widespread drug resistance, estimating that as many as half of the prescriptions for the drugs given each year to outpatients are unnecessary. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spends more than $11 million a year monitoring drug resistance.
2000: The Food and Drug Administration approves one of the newest major new antibiotics, Bayer's ciprofloxacin hydrochloride, known as Cipro. Cipro makes news the following year as a treatment for a spate of unsolved anthrax poisonings.
Denver Post Staff Writer
The Denver Post
The last time a new tuberculosis drug was developed, Richard Nixon was in the White House and Dr. Michael Iseman was a young resident in a New York City hospital.
That drug, Rifampin, "was the biggest thing to hit TB in 30 years," said Iseman, now a doctor at National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver.
Since then, Iseman has become a recognized authority on TB and Rifampin has remained the centerpiece of TB treatment.
Now, however, a growing number of tuberculosis strains are not fazed by the drug - as in the highly publicized case of Andrew Speaker, who is being treated at National Jewish.
Tuberculosis isn't the only infection increasingly impervious to the antibiotics in medicine's arsenal.
In the past decade, federal agencies - such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and the Food and Drug Administration - have warned that antibiotic overuse has led to evolving drug-resistant bacteria.
At the same time, the agencies say, there is a dearth of research dollars for new antibiotics - creating a looming medical crisis.
"Infections that were once easily curable with antibiotics are becoming difficult, even impossible, to treat," the Infectious Disease Society of America warned in its report "Bad Bugs, No Drugs."
"The problem is dollars, not chemistry," said Christopher Spivey, a spokesman for the Boston-based Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics.
Antibiotics not as profitable
Antibiotic development requires huge investments of money, $400 million to $800 million, according to a study in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.
To provide as much income as drug companies get from the sale of one drug to a person who, for example, takes a weight-loss pill daily, a company would have to sell antibiotics to 200 to 500 people with an illness like pneumonia, Spivey said.
There are currently under development 50 drugs each for obesity, pain and Type II diabetes, according to PhRMA, a group representing the nation's leading drugmakers.
There are just nine new drugs in the works for tuberculosis and eight for malaria.
For staph infections and drug- resistant staph infections, PhRMA lists 23 drugs under development.
This isn't a new trend. FDA approval of new anti-bacterial drugs has dropped 56 percent in 20 years, according to a 2004 study by Brad Spellberg, a professor of medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Work on new TB drugs has languished in part because of the widespread, mistaken belief that the disease was no longer a problem in this country, said Mel Spigelman, director of research and development for the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development.
Iseman said that on the world market drugmakers are discouraged from developing antibiotics.
"There is a tendency - in global use - for knock-offs," Iseman said. "Companies simply choose not to honor patent protections and it's done under the seemingly noble rubric of, 'we have patients dying of - whatever disease - in our country and we can't afford your drug, so we're going to make our own.' "
In its report, the infectious-disease society recommended incentives, such as tax breaks, for antibiotic research and development.
Difficult to draw attention
Still, drug companies don't get much public sympathy these days, which could make it politically tough for members of Congress to grant those tax breaks, Iseman said.
Antibiotic development "won't get on the radar until there is a really good killing plague," Spivey said.
In that respect, Speaker may have unintentionally done a favor for TB drug research by drawing attention to the disease, Spivey said.
Since 2000, interest in TB has picked up, said the TB Alliance's Spigelman.
While only a handful of new TB drugs are in the pipeline, even that is progress, Spigelman said.
"In 2000, we had zero," he said.
This year, the National Institutes of Health will spend $158 million on TB- drug research. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has pledged $900 million over the next decade.
Four drug companies - Bayer, Novartis, AstraZeneca International and GlaxoSmithKline - now have units working on infectious diseases, including TB.
Bacteria, however, reproduce every 10 minutes or so, while it takes humans about 20 years to develop means to battle new strains, Iseman said.
"They have the ability to adapt to our drugs," he said. "So if you're in Vegas, you bet on the bugs."
Staff writer Karen Augé can be reached at 303-954-1733 or kauge@denverpost.com.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A history of antibiotics and drug resistance
1920s-'50s: Scientists harness the power of living organisms to fight bacteria, ushering in the era of antibiotics.
1928: Scottish bacteriologist Alexander Fleming, above, accidentally discovers that a mold juice he names penicillin can kill staphylococcus bacteria.
1940: Oxford University pathologist Howard Florey isolates pure penicillin and demonstrates how it can cure a wide range of pathogens, including strep infections, gonorrhea and syphilis.
1943: Penicillin becomes the first antibiotic to be put in widespread use.
1944: Russian-born microbiologist Selman Waksman, working in the United States with soil microbiologist Albert Schatz, discovers streptomycin, a powerful antibiotic that proves effective against tuberculosis.
1958: American molecular geneticist Joshua Lederberg wins the Nobel Prize in medicine for demonstrating the way bacteria interact and exchange genetic material - a key concept behind drug resistance.
1967: The first penicillin-resistant pneumonococcal bacteria are reported in Papua New Guinea.
1968: Drug-resistant Shigella diarrhea kills 12,500 people in Guatemala.
1970-72: Penicillin-resistant gonorrhea spreads around the world, transmitted in part by U.S. servicemen, who contract the disease from prostitutes in Southeast Asia.
1976: Several weeks after attending an American Legion convention in Philadelphia, 34 people die from a mysterious form of pneumonia that thwarts available treatments and comes to be known as Legionnaires' disease.
1980s-'90s: The public-health effects of drug-resistant bacteria become clear, prompting new concerns about infectious diseases.
1986: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Department of Agriculture establish a national anti-
microbial-resistance monitoring system to track food-borne microbes.
1988-95: Studies in Finland, the Netherlands and other European countries find increased drug resistance in farm animals. Many of the livestock are fed antibiotics as growth-promoters.
1990: Puppeteer Jim Henson, creator of the Muppets, dies of toxic-shock syndrome induced by an aggressive strain of streptococcus that acts too quickly for antibiotics to work.
1992: An influx of immigrants sparks a tuberculosis epidemic in New York and other cities, forcing local officials to remobilize dormant TB prevention efforts. The federal government is spending just $55,000 a year monitoring drug resistance.
1995: A form of staph infection that is resistant to methicillin results in almost a half-billion dollars in direct medical costs and claims 1,409 lives in New York City hospitals.
1996: Japanese bacterial geneticists detect the world's first staph infection capable of resisting the powerful antibiotic vancomycin.
1997: Health officials report the percentage of antibiotic-resistant cases has surged from 2 percent in 1991 to 43 percent in 1997.
1998: The Institute of Medicine contends that overuse of antibiotics has brought about widespread drug resistance, estimating that as many as half of the prescriptions for the drugs given each year to outpatients are unnecessary. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spends more than $11 million a year monitoring drug resistance.
2000: The Food and Drug Administration approves one of the newest major new antibiotics, Bayer's ciprofloxacin hydrochloride, known as Cipro. Cipro makes news the following year as a treatment for a spate of unsolved anthrax poisonings.
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