WARF TECHNOLOGIES

The rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria represents a potential health crisis. Some antibiotics (e.g., quinolones and fluoroquinolones) are losing their effectiveness while others simply don’t work against Gram-negative bacteria. This class of bacteria includes strains responsible for food poisoning, urinary tract infections, pneumonia, cystic fibrosis and sepsis.

A UW–Madison researcher and collaborators have identified an antibiotic compound effective against many drug-resistant, Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. The compound (5-nonyloxytryptamine) and its analogs are small molecule inhibitors that interfere with the bacterial membrane and prevent replication.

The compound has been reported as an anticancer drug but was not previously shown to have antimicrobial properties. It was identified by searching for compounds that cause E. coli bacteria to lack a copy of the chromosome following cell division.

• Antibiotic to treat infections and inhibit bacterial growth
• Bacteria targets include Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Shigella, Bacillus, Listeria, Staphylococcus and Streptococcus species.
• Topical and potentially systemic usage

• Broad-spectrum weapon against Gram-negative, Gram-positive and antibiotic-resistant bacteria

The compound has been tested against a broad panel of human pathogens with promising results.

Related Technologies

• WARF reference number P120204US02 describes a class of antimicrobial compounds that specifically target the membranes both of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.
• WARF reference number P110268US02 describes a novel class of antibiotic compounds targeting bacterial cell division.

Related Intellectual Property

• View Continuation Patent in PDF format.

Tech Fields

• Therapeutics & Vaccines : Anti-infectives (antibacterials, antifungals, antivirals)