£1 Million of Translational Funding to Develop a Novel Antimicrobial Catheter

 UCL Professors Ivan Parkin and Michael Wilson have been awarded an MRC Developmental Pathway Funding Scheme award of circa £1 million to develop a light-activated antimicrobial application for the prevention of catheter-associated infections (CAIs) such as urinary tract infections (UTIs). UTIs are the most common type of healthcare-associated infection (HAI), accounting for more than 30% of all reported cases of HAIs.

This 30-month project will be managed by Professor Ivan Parkin, Head of the Department of Chemistry, and Professor Michael Wilson of the Eastman Dental Institute, with the aim of taking existing fundamental and clinical research findings towards the clinic.

’We consider this initiative to be a major step towards the development of a major class of new medical devices that have the potential to reduce the number of UTIs acquired in hospital, thereby significantly reducing healthcare costs,’ stated Professor Parkin. ‘Furthermore, proof of concept for application to urinary catheters will demonstrate a step-change in the prevention of CAIs and lead to the application of this novel approach to other catheter types, including cardiovascular, intravenous and neurovascular catheters.’

Professor Wilson, Professor of Microbiology and Pro-Provost for Europe at UCL, stated: ’What makes this undertaking unique is that the development work will be carried out by a multi-disciplinary team of chemists, bacteriologists, photobiologists, medical laser physicists and clinicians experienced in the management of CAIs, based in clinics, academia and industry. This level of collaboration across a number of disciplines is clearly of tremendous benefit to the project and builds on many years of independent research, clinical experience and historic product development efforts.’

’Ondine and UCL have a successful partnership spanning over ten years,’ said Mr Derek Reay, Senior Business Manager of UCL Business (UCLB), the technology transfer company of UCL. ’Together we are recognised as global leaders in developing applications based on photodisinfection, Jointly, Ondine and UCL have developed the Periowave™ Photodisinfection System, a light-activated antimicrobial technology that is widely used in dental practices across the world.’

The development of the anti-microbial catheter has resulted from UCLB’s proof-of-concept funding, along with sponsorship from Ondine. UCLB has filed two patents protecting this work and further filings are anticipated. ’Combining applied research with industry experience has proven to be a very effective strategy for successful product development,’ Mr Reay said. ‘We look forward to working with Ondine on the catheter project, as well as on future projects that address antibiotic-resistant pathogens.’

HAIs occur when a patient acquires an infection during the course of treatment at, or a visit to, a healthcare facility. The World Health Organisation has called HAIs one of the biggest causes of avoidable harm and unnecessary deaths in the developed world. Every year in the UK, hundreds of thousands patients develop HAIs that prolong hospital treatment, increase morbidity and mortality, and add an estimated £1 billion to healthcare costs. More than 5,000 people die every year as a result of these infections. In the US, 1.7 million HAIs occur annually, resulting in more than 99,000 deaths. On average, HAIs add 19 days to a patient’s hospital stay, and increase medical expenses by more than $45,000. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that HAIs add $35–45 billion in costs to the healthcare system every year.

UTIs are the most common type of HAI, accounting for more than 30% of all reported cases. More than five million patients each year in the US use urinary catheters, placing them at a higher risk of developing a UTI. Long term urinary catheterisation is used on patients who are immobile. As a result of catheterisation, UTIs affect 10–12% of all urinary catheter users, adding billions of dollarsin additional costs to the healthcare system and killing over 13,000 patients in the US every year.

Ondine is developing non-antibiotic therapies for treating a broad spectrum of bacterial, fungal and viral infections. The company is focused on developing leading-edge products utilising its patented light-activated technology, primarily for the HAI market. Photodisinfection provides broad-spectrum antimicrobial efficacy without encouraging the formation and spread of antibiotic resistance. Ondine is based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with a research and development laboratory in Bothell, Washington, USA. For additional information, please visit the company’s website at www.ondinebio.com

UCL Business plc is responsible for commercialising innovations arising from the research base at University College London, one of the UK’s leading research-led universities. UCL Business undertakes a broad range of knowledge transfer activities, covering the facilitation of consultancy and collaborative research engagements through to technology transfer, company incubation and investment. More information on UCL Business can be found at www.uclb.com