Bacteria are everywhere. Most are harmless. Some are beneficial to humans such as Lactobacillus acidophilus which occurs in your gut, helps you digest your food, destroys disease-causing organisms and releases important nutrients. Others help us produce cheeses, yoghurts, and sourdough breads. Less than one percent of the currently known bacteria can make you sick. Infectious or pathogenic bacteria such as the ESKAPE pathogens [1] are responsible for millions of infected patients and tens of thousands of deaths each year.

Antibiotic resistance in bacteria occurs naturally through evolution where mutations in the bacteria’s genes create resistance. However, the widespread and long-term misuse of antibiotics against viral infections and in animal feed has promoted the development of multidrug resistant strains (MDR bacteria) which are resistant to three or more classes of antimicrobial drugs. MDR bacteria pose a serious threat to human and animal health. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has published a list of “priority pathogens”, 12 families of antibiotic resistant bacteria [2] that pose the greatest threat to human health and called for the rapid development of new antimicrobials capable of treating these priority pathogens. In many cases, MDR bacteria are transmitted through the use of medical devices.

ChainPeptides Oy is developing antimicrobial products based on our proprietary Chain Peptide technology platform that can prevent the spread of healthcare acquired bacterial infections. Chain peptides are short chain, fully synthetic, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) which are tolerant to proteolytic degradation, pH, temperature and salt. Chain peptides are proven to be efficacious against a wide range of pathogenic gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria and can kill the ESKAPE group of infectious bacteria.

About Us

Our Mission

We are developing highly effective antimicrobial solutions for Healthcare Acquired Infections (HAIs) spread by medical devices using our proprietary chain peptides alone or in conjunction with other medical technologies. We continue to develop novel antimicrobials for pharmaceutical use to combat the spread of MDR bacteria.

Our Vision

We aspire to create a future in which patients recover from infections, disease and injuries without contracting new bacterial infections via medical devices while undergoing medical treatments – to overcome multidrug resistance.

Our History

ChainPeptides Oy was established in December 2022 by Tejesvi Mysore and a team of experienced industry professionals with the goal of bringing to market innovative and potent solutions for Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI). These solutions are centered around the use of antimicrobial “chain peptides” for medical devices.

Join Us in Our Journey

We are engaging with industrial and academic partners and seeking seed round investors to join the ChainPeptides Oy journey.

Our Team

Tejesvi
Mysore

CEO, PhD, EMBA

Adjunct Professor Turned Startup Enthusiast with industry expertise.

tejesvi.mysore@chainpeptides.com

Mark
Bloomfield

Chairman of the Board

Healthcare & Life Science Industry Consultant and Board Member.

mark.bloomfield@chainpeptides.com

Lionel
Hadjadjeba

MD, MBA, Board Member

Transitioned Executive from Pharma to MedTech.

lionel.hadjadjeba@chainpeptides.com

Rüdiger
Jankowsky

PhD, Board Member

Biotech Executive and Biopharmaceuticals Expert.

ruediger.jankowsky@chainpeptides.com
Challenge Background

The Challenge

Infections that are acquired while receiving medical care in a healthcare institution and were not present at the time of admission are known as healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). The effect of HAIs include protracted hospital stays, long – term disability, rising antibiotic resistance, higher costs for individuals and health care systems, and incremental deaths.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)[3] reports that 8.3% (11 787) of patients who spent more than two days in intensive care units (ICUs) had at least one HAI that was being monitored (pneumonia, bloodstream infection, or urinary tract infection). Bloodstream infections (BSI), pneumonia, and urinary tract infections (UTI) made up 6%, 4%, and 2%, respectively, of all patients who spent more than two days in an ICU.

The deployment of traditional aseptic techniques and cleaning protocols has not stopped the rise in the frequency of HAIs transmitted by medical devices, meaning that novel approaches are required. Most of the World Health Organisation list of “priority pathogens” are Gram-negative bacterial pathogens. Due to their distinctive structure, gram-negative bacteria are more resistant than gram-positive bacteria, and cause significant morbidity and mortality worldwide.

The Chain Peptide Platform

ChainPeptides Oy has developed a family of novel antimicrobial peptides to stop the spread of HAIs by medical devices and to combat the spread of antibiotic resistance. To increase the safety of medical treatments, we are creating new and better antimicrobial technology. Our goal is to help healthcare providers prevent HAIs.

Chain peptides have been proven to be highly effective against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria in in-vitro experiments. ChainPeptides Oy has identified potentially valuable use of the technology within the antimicrobial gram-negative space.

IP, Collaborations & Licensing

ChainPeptide Oy holds a comprehensive suite of granted patents covering the utilisation of three different broad-spectrum antimicrobial peptides for, amongst other uses, the prevention of microbial growth. The patents are granted in the USA, several EU countries, Japan, China and India.

If you are interested in collaborating with ChainPeptides Oy to develop  applications for chain peptides or would like to know more about licensing options, please contact Tejesvi Mysore (tejesvi.mysore@chainpeptides.com) for more information or for an initial discussion.

Publications and References

1.

Denissen J, Reyneke B, Waso-Reyneke M, Havenga B, Barnard T, Khan S, et al. Prevalence of ESKAPE pathogens in the environment: Antibiotic resistance status, community-acquired infection and risk to human health. Int J Hyg Environ Health. 2022;244:114006.

2.

WHO publishes list of bacteria for which new antibiotics are urgently needed. https://www.who.int/news/item/27-02-2017-who-publishes-list-of-bacteria-for-which-new-antibiotics-are-urgently-needed. Accessed 16 Mar 2023.

3.

Healthcare-associated infections in intensive care units – Annual Epidemiological Report for 2017. https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/healthcare-associated-infections-intensive-care-units-annual-epidemiological-1. Accessed 18 Mar 2023.

Technology

ChainPeptides has developed a peptide-based antimicrobial technology that is effective against a wide spectrum of microorganisms. It can be used in medical devices to minimize the incidence and severity of HAIs. By using our chain peptide-based technology into their medical devices, manufacturers will be able to offer products with cutting-edge qualities to address microbial infections, particularly those triggered by antibiotic-resistant strains. In-vitro tests on our main product have produced exciting and encouraging results.

Reduced use of antibiotic drugs

Decrease in morbidity and mortality

Decreased number of days of hospital stay

Lower financial burden on healthcare resources

Improved quality of life of the patients

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