TAMPA, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oragenics, Inc. (NYSE American: OGEN), a leader in the development of new antibiotics against infectious diseases and effective treatments for oral mucositis (“OM”), today announces the publication of a preclinical study using the lead compound from its lantibiotics program, OG716, in the peer reviewed journal, Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.
The preclinical study demonstrated that following oral administration of the maximum feasible dose of OG716 in hamster models, there were no observable toxicities nor observable side effects, nor was there any effect on intestinal motility. Treatment of animals infected with C. difficile resulted in a dose-dependant survival, and no recurrence at the upper dose tested. Further, researchers observed that the compound remained constrained only in the gastrointestinal tract. Lantibiotics, including OG716, are a novel class of peptide antibacterial compounds naturally produced by a variety of Gram-positive bacteria. Oragenics’ lantibiotic library offers a large pipeline for the development of novel antibiotics in several indications.
“The publication of this study offers additional validation for the safety and tolerability of our lantibiotic program, while simultaneously confirming the potential for our lead candidate for the treatment of CDAD,” stated Alan Joslyn, Ph.D., President and CEO of Oragenics, Inc. “There exists a dire need for new approaches to fighting antibiotic-resistant infections, and we believe the continued development of our lantibiotic program is one of those potential solutions. We look forward to providing continued updates on the development of OG716 as they become available.”
The manuscript is available on-line at https://aac.asm.org/content/early/2019/01/17/AAC.01904-18.
About Lantibiotics and OG716
OG716 is a molecule derived from Oragenics’ lantibiotic discovery and characterization platform that has shown positive results in nonclinical testing including efficacy in an animal model for Clostridium difficile infection in enteritis. Lantibiotics are a class of antibiotic compounds with novel mechanism of action, prized for their ability to overcome antibiotic-resistant infections. With resistant strains on the rise, particularly healthcare-acquired infections (HAI), the need for these potent lantibiotic agents is critical. Oragenics is pursuing the commercial-scale production of a lantibiotic for use as an antimicrobial.
About Oragenics, Inc.
We are focused on becoming a leader in novel antibiotics against infectious disease and on developing effective treatments for oral mucositis. Oragenics, Inc. has established two exclusive worldwide channel collaborations with Intrexon Corporation and its subsidiaries. The collaborations allow Oragenics to accelerate the development of much needed new antibiotics that can work against resistant strains of bacteria and the development of biotherapeutics for oral mucositis and other diseases and conditions of the oral cavity, throat, and esophagus.
For more information about Oragenics, please visit www.oragenics.com.
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