Polyphor and the University of Zurich announces publication in ‘Nature’ of the unique mechanism of action of a new class of antibiotics.

Polyphor AG (SIX: POLN) and the University of Zurich announced today a publication in Nature that describes the discovery and characterization of a new class of Gram-negative antibiotics covering all priority 1 WHO/ESKAPE pathogens including multi-resistant (MDR), extensively-resistant (XDR) and colistin-resistant bacterial strains. This new class, the Outer Membrane Protein Targeting Antibiotics (OMPTA), constitutes potentially a major breakthrough in the fight against antimicrobial resistance, which is a global threat to human society and to health care systems world-wide.

The Nature paper describes the results of a major joint academic and industrial effort combining researchers at the University of Zurich, University of Basel, Biozentrum, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH, Zurich) and Polyphor, which uncovered the mechanism of action of the new OMPTA class.

“The new OMPTA class binds dually to lipopolysaccharide and outer-membrane proteins, in particular BamA, which are both important constituents of the Gram-negative outer membrane. So far no clinical antibiotics target these key proteins, which is an unprecedented way of specifically combating life-threatening infections caused by Gram-negative bacteria” comments Professor John Robinson at the University of Zurich.

“We are proud to have discovered a novel class of antibiotics potentially addressing a major unmet medical need. We are grateful to acknowledge the invaluable support and contributions of our academic partners and would also like to mention the financial support from CTI/Innosuisse, Wellcome Trust (WT), CARB-X, and the Novo REPAIR Impact Fund,” comments Daniel Obrecht, Chief Scientific Officer at Polyphor.

POL7306, a first lead molecule of the OMPTA class is now in preclinical development.

For further information please contact:

For Investors:
Hernan Levett
Chief Financial Officer
Polyphor Ltd.
Tel: +41 61 567 16 67
Email: IR@polyphor.com

For Media:
Alexandre Müller
Dynamics Group AG
Tel: +41 43 268 32 31
Email: amu@dynamicsgroup.ch

About Polyphor
Polyphor is a clinical stage, Swiss biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of immuno-oncology compounds and a new class of antibiotics. Polyphor is advancing balixafortide (POL6326) in a Phase III trial in combination with eribulin in patients with advanced breast cancer, and exploring its potential in other cancer indications. In addition, it has discovered and is developing the Outer Membrane Protein Targeting Antibiotics (OMPTA). OMPTA are potentially the first new class of antibiotics in clinical development in the last 50 years against Gram-negative bacteria. The company’s lead OMPTA program is an inhaled formulation of murepavadin for the treatment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections in patients with cystic fibrosis. Polyphor is based in Allschwil near Basel and is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (SIX: POLN). For more information, please visit www.polyphor.com.