The global antibiotic market
The global antibiotic and antifungal market has exceeded the $ 25 billion mark in 2005 and is expected to reach $ 40 billion during the decade ending in 2015. While the global market is expanding, advanced geographic areas like Europe, Japan and North America are likely to have a slowdown. Resistance to antibiotics has an impact on the attitude of doctors, which reduces consumption. The demand for antibacterials is increasing since the increase in the number of elderly people has contributed to the increase and severity of bacterial infections. It is discouraging to note that a fifth of patients suffer from nosocomial infections that cause each year, in the United States only, around 90,000 deaths. The loss of global revenues does not imply that there is also a loss of volume. Several successful patents expired and brand medicines will be replaced by generic products at a cost fraction. This will have a significant impact on the 14 products whose turnover exceeds one billion dollars.
Antibacterial products have entered a wide range of activity sectors, including food conservation, water treatment, oil and gas, agriculture and even consumer products. This biocidal market has experienced two -digit growth for years. Alerts to avian flu in 2009 pushed the company beyond the $ 10 billion mark. This growth is not only due to an increase in demand, there is also a shift to more expensive bacterial control agents. The replacement of aggressive chemicals, such as gas chloration, by less damaging biocides should contribute to this growth. The replacement of aggressive chemicals such as gas chloration with less harmful biocides should contribute to a global increase in sales. Powerful bacteria reduce the effectiveness of bactericidal and antibiotics.
Consumer goods such as mouthwash, deodorants, soaps, cleaners, even chopsticks and toys are mixed with bacterial control agents. One of the main chemicals used is triclosan. Many scientists fear that the overuse of these formulations will stimulate rapid mutations in bacteria that will develop increased resistance. Jude Childrens' Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee (USA) were able to cultivate triclosan insects in their laboratory in just two days.
Innovation
Vinegar and baking soda are ready -to -use cleaners that eliminate bacteria. A simple washing with hot water from twenty to thirty seconds combined with a good scrub allows you to keep the family clean and safe. The main challenge is not control of a single bacteria that could stick to our skin, but rather the control of the biofilm. Biofilms are dense colonies of bacterial cells that surround themselves with a thick protective layer. When bacteria colonize their host, they are 10 to 1,000 times more resistant to antibiotics and bactericides. The United States National Institute of Health (NIH) estimates that more than 80 % of all bacterial infections in humans have an important biofilm component.
Peter Steinberg and Staffan Kjelleberg, both professors at the University of New South Wales (Unsw), noted that a red alga (Delicea Pulchra) was not colonized by bacteria. The ocean is "a bacteria soup". If seaweed had started to kill the colonizers with the same fervor again as if humans applied chemicals, they would have first killed themselves. Peter and Staffan realized that algae practically blurs the communications between bacteria. Scientists call this the chemistry of the Quorum (IQS) detection inhibitor. If bacteria cannot communicate with each other, it is then impossible to coordinate, and even less to control or take control of the host. They then patented the defense mechanism developed for millions of years.
By working at UNSW, the team managed to produce synthetic analogues that have demonstrated great efficiency. Better still, they have proven that this "deafness" can be induced from a wide range of bacteria, and can even inhibit the growth of fungi. The greatest advantage of their innovation is that the tests have confirmed that the product is safe, while there is no risk that the use of the analog increases bacterial resistance. The identification of this mechanism could revolutionize the way in which bactericides are used in agriculture in general and the processing of food in particular, consumer products, industry, water treatment, medical and therapeutic devices . A new era of antibacterials has started. The killing can finally end.
The first cash flow
The inventors and the UNSW created in 1999 Biosignal, collected from funds and 80 % of its budget was devoted to research activities. Although the company has aroused the interest of the private sector, it had to take up the challenge of recording a new chemical compound, an expensive company. Even when this analog is based on a natural recipe, the cost of the recording has exceeded the capital raised. Although the company had trouble going to the next phase, the patent portfolio positions this breakthrough for markets and requests with a limited registration process. This implies that the first applications cannot have any direct contact with humans or food.
An interesting first area is that of cut flowers. Bacteria quickly infes the flowers harvested and affect their beauty and freshness. The extension of the lifespan of ornamental flowers using QSI would increase their competitiveness and their price. The oil and gas industry has expressed special interest in controlling biofilm in its pipelines. Corrosion induced by microbes (CMI) is the main cause of environmental disaster in Alaska in 2006, when bacteria were introduced into metals. The use of traditional bactericids and regular scraping of the interior of pipelines did not allow to control the attack on biofilms. The CMI could be controlled by the algae's analog, and tests have confirmed it.
The opportunity
The applications are very varied. One could imagine that at least five separate companies pursue different uses of the large protection conferred by the patent. Although the first tests indicated that IQS chemistry could control cystic fibrosis and tuberculosis, it would take at least a decade before this specific application can be available on the market. Control of bacterial infections in medical devices is another long -term opportunity. This is particularly useful for catheters, in particular urinary catheters, which it is estimated that 30 % of patients suffer from infections due to the use of the catheter. This additional treatment costs $ 25,000 per patient, which represents excessive stress for tight government budgets. However, the IQS could not only treat existing infections, but above all prevent the biofilm from colonizing the host in the first place. It is a logic that the red algae teaches us: it is better to prevent than cure.
The IQS could become an interesting alternative to money which is increasingly used in industry. Silver has been used for hundreds of years and has proven attractive for manufacturers since this precious metal is not closely controlled by subsequent regulators and approval procedures. The drawback is its high and growing cost. In addition, money has not shown significant improvement in clinical results. The large application, for example in the ceramic coating of the toilet bowl, already represents for Inax, one of the main Japanese producers, 5 tonnes of silver per year.
Perhaps the greatest interest could come from consumer applications where producers are increasingly aware of bacterial resistance and their disposition to pay. A higher price. Perhaps the next deodorant, toothpaste and rinse-mouth is based on seaweed extracts. The red color would provide a distinct brand image. The first tests carried out by Unilever confirmed its effectiveness to control the body odors. The missing link is the recording of the innovative molecule. An opportunity for investors and it seems that companies like Unilever are among the first to join the gesture to speech.
