TAILOCIN: Novel custom-made antimicrobials targeting Gram-negative bacteria

The world-wide threat of antibiotic resistant bacteria has made WHO and EU emphasize the urgent need for innovative research to develop alternatives to antibiotics against Gram-negative pathogens.  

In TAILOCIN we custommake antimicrobials specifically targeting critical clinical pathogens Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas, E. coli and Klebsiella and high-priority Salmonella serovars causing foodborne gastroenteritis. This will be achieved by developing the tail of a unique bacterial virus (phage) into bacteria-killing Tailocins. This novel tailocin has multiple binding capacities that will be engineered to re-target multiple pathogens using the huge diversity of phage binding proteins found in nature. This project will provide alternative  antimicrobials that can be custom targeted to any bacterial pathogenic species to reduce use of antibiotics, prevent the spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria and control pathogens from farm-to-fork and in clinical settings.

The project is funded by the Danish Council for Independent Research by 6.1 million Danish Kroner.

For more information please contact Professor Lone Brøndsted lobr@sund.ku.dk