San Diego, California, September 12, 2017 – Forge Therapeutics, Inc., (Forge) announced today that the company will present a talk entitled, “Forging new chemistry – metalloprotein technology to discover a new class of antibiotic for Gram-negative bacteria”, at the World Anti-Microbial Resistance (AMR) Congress 2017 being held September 14-15, 2017 at the JW Marriot Hotel in Washington D.C.
Key topics of the oral presentation will include:
Forge’s novel metal-binding chemistry & process to rationally design effective metalloenzyme inhibitors;
Small molecules that inhibit Forge’s lead antibiotic target, LpxC, with broad-spectrum effectiveness against drug resistant Gram-negative bacteria; and
Forge’s ability to advance its pre-clinical development and lead optimization through collaborations and non-dilutive funding.
About the World AMR Congress
Since its start in 2015, the World AMR Congress has set out to provide a platform for change on both the scientific and economic sides of the antimicrobial resistance space. The World AMR Congress gathers key stakeholders from government, funding agencies, pharma, academia, hospitals, and payers to discuss the answers to all of these questions and more. The AMR review presented the world with a series of recommendations on how best to tackle AMR; now it is up to the stakeholders in these industries to come together and facilitate the implementation of these actions.
About LpxC and the ‘Superbug’ Epidemic
Millions of people around the globe have become infected with bacteria that are resistant to current antibiotic treatments, or ‘superbugs’, creating a global health epidemic. An estimated 700,000 worldwide deaths occur each year from these drug-resistant infections, and in the U.S. alone, an estimated 23,000 people die each year from antibiotic resistant infections. The biotechnology industry, leading government agencies and world leaders agree that the need for new antibiotics is urgent.
LpxC is an attractive and highly sought after antibiotic target – it is conserved across Gram-negative bacteria and not found in Gram-positive bacteria or human cells. Other LpxC inhibitors have been evaluated by biopharma in the past but chemistry limitations (e.g. hydroxamic acid) have yielded unsuitable compounds that suffer from poor drug-like properties. There are no approved therapeutics targeting LpxC.
About Forge Therapeutics
Forge Therapeutics is a privately-held biopharmaceutical company developing novel antibiotics to treat multi-drug resistant bacteria, or ‘superbugs,’ that have ignited a global health epidemic. With its proprietary chemistry approach, Forge develops small molecule inhibitors targeting metalloenzymes. Forge’s lead effort is focused on LpxC, a zinc metalloenzyme found only in Gram-negative bacteria and which is essential for bacteria to grow. Forge has discovered novel small molecule inhibitors of LpxC that are potent in vitro, efficacious in vivo, and effective against drug resistant Gram-negative bacteria ‘superbugs.’ To complement its innovative approach to drug discovery, Forge has a capital efficient business model that utilizes a mix of non-dilutive and traditional funding sources to advance its programs, including LpxC. Forge has formed a strategic alliance with leading drug discovery alliance and development partnership company Evotec AG and has been awarded multiple government awards to address the global ‘superbug’ epidemic. In addition, Forge has amassed a rich intellectual property estate on metalloprotein inhibitors to protect its technology and pipeline. For further information, please visit the company’s website www.ForgeTherapeutics.com and follow us on Twitter @ForgeThera.
Forge Company Contact:
Info@ForgeTherapeutics.com
Forge Media Contact:
Amy Conrad
Juniper Point
amy@juniper-point.com
858-366-3243