Avidocin™ proteins
Naturally occurring R-type bacteriocins have evolved to defensively kill specific strains of competing bacteria. These proteins employ single-hit kinetics, that is, a single bacteriocin can kill a bacterium, making them extraordinarily potent. Pylum has developed a technology platform to enable engineering these bacteriocins to specifically target different, threatening bacteria.
Avidocin proteins are engineered to bind to unique molecules on the surface of the intended target bacteria. By zeroing in on these unique surface signatures of their bacterial targets, Avidocin proteins do not bind to or damage off-target bacteria. The ability to engineer Avidocin proteins to target most any bacteria based on characteristics unique to the species or even the strain allow for:
- Potent and targeted treatments – An Avidocin protein will kill only the targeted bacteria and not other bacteria, thereby avoiding damage to off-target species.
- Tailorable – Avidocin proteins can be rapidly designed to kill virtually any bacterium, gram positive or negative.
- Ignoring antibiotic resistance – Avidocin proteins are unaffected by mechanisms of antibiotic-resistance and accordingly, kill drug-resistant bacteria.
- Targeting surface accessible virulence or fitness factors – The rare bacteria emerging resistant to the targeted Avidocin protein will have lost their surface target and thereby compromised their virulence or fitness.
As a result of their highly targeted nature, Avidocin proteins cause minimal unintended collateral damage to the important, health-promoting bacteria within each person. Avidocin™ therapeutics consist of normal amino acids, do not contain any DNA, and do not trigger the release of toxins upon killing the target bacteria.
As a result, there is minimal or no disruption to the surrounding microbiota, which recent studies have found to be critical for restoring and maintaining the natural, healthy diversity within the gut microbiota.