Development of Antibodies to Disrupt Bacterial Biofilms

Biofilm-associated bacteria often have low susceptibility to antibiotics. This often results in persistent infections that do not respond to antibiotic therapy. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop innovative therapeutic interventions to prevent biofilm formation or to treat biofilm's that have formed. The use of monoclonal antibodies (mAb) against biofilms is an attractive measure. Ace Therapeutics offers services for the development of monoclonal antibodies targeting bacterial biofilms, which is a promising alternative approach to fighting superbug infections.

Fighting Bacterial Biofilms with Monoclonal Antibodies

Biofilm formation is the most common cause of persistent infection in some drug-resistant bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus and other staphylococci. They are inherently resistant to drugs such as antibiotics. Antibody-based approaches can be used to combat biofilms. Antibodies can prevent bacterial adherence and biofilm maturation, and can even disperse mature biofilms.

Fig. 1 Antibodies can interfere with biofilm formation and disperse biofilms through a variety of mechanisms. (Raafat D, et al., 2019)

We aim to develop novel antibody molecules specifically targeting mechanisms of biofilm formation or biofilm resistance to antibiotics, potentially designing novel therapeutics for use in combination with antibiotics for the treatment of biofilm-associated infections in resistant bacteria.

Antibodies Development Services to Disrupt Bacterial Biofilms

The antibiotics currently in use were developed primarily for fast-growing bacteria and are poor against biofilms. We look for drugs that are effective against biofilm bacteria and are currently developing alternative antibody-based therapies that target biofilm tolerance through different design strategies. These new molecules can be used as adjunctive approaches in combination with antibiotics. We use strategies that target specific mechanisms involved in biofilm formation to develop antibodies.

• Anti-adhesion strategies. Adhesins are one of the most studied targets for antibody-based therapies. We develop these antibodies against adhesion factors to block biofilm formation by targeting a number of candidate proteins, including cell wall-related proteins involved in biofilm formation, cell wall-modifying enzymes and glycopolymers, such as clumping factors, fibronectin binding proteins, etc.
• Anti-biofilm matrix strategies. We develop antibodies that act directly on matrix components to weaken biofilms. Biofilm factors associated with biofilm-associated infections can be potential targets. Examples include PNAG, other specific biofilm factors, and bacterial DNA binding proteins. These substances stabilize the biofilm matrix and can lead to biofilm dispersion through neutralization by specific antibodies.
• Anti-quorum sensing strategies. We target the quorum sensing (QS) primary signaling pathway as an anti-biofilm target. This is a common antimicrobial strategy that targets bacterial cell density-dependent gene regulation.

In summary, several of these targeting strategies have shown promising results in preclinical studies. To combat biofilm-associated superbug infections, our research aims to identify and test various bacterial target structures using proteomic approaches to develop specifically targeted antibody molecules.

Common Technologies

In the research of anti-biofilm antibodies, we provide technology for the development and production of monoclonal antibodies. Specific technologies include, but are not limited to, the following. And you can inquire specifically based on your needs.

• Biofilm models
• High-throughput screening
• Proteomics analysis
• Antigen generation
• Hybridoma technology
• Antibody engineering
• Preclinical studies

Contact us if you need anti-biofilm antibody development support.

References

1. Raafat D, et al. Fighting Staphylococcus aureus biofilms with monoclonal antibodies. Trends in microbiology, 2019, 27(4): 303-322.
2. Beloin C, et al. Novel approaches to combat bacterial biofilms. Current opinion in pharmacology, 2014, 18: 61-68.