New ideas to treat drug-resistant infections take top prizes at Innovation Days
Proposals involving revolutionary ways to remedy drug-resistant infections took top honors at this year’s Innovation Days, an annual competition where UT Southwestern physicians and scientists and alumni pitch their brightest and boldest ideas to an audience of investors, entrepreneurs, and community partners from across the nation.
At the event, six members of the UTSW community presented projects that ranged from an implant to cool deadly brain tumors and extend patient life to a blood-based probe for systemic amyloidosis, a rare disease that occurs when a protein builds up in organs.
An ointment for infections and skin diseases caused by the bacteria Staphylococcus won in the Pre-Fundraising Category, while precision antibiotics in development for drug-resistant bacterial infections landed the top prize in the Pre-Seed/Seed/Series A fundraising category.
The push to develop innovative technologies, medical devices, and treatment breakthroughs has accelerated greatly since 2019, when Dallas leaders coalesced to focus on building ecosystem components to support robust life science growth in North Texas. The Oct. 29 Innovation Days reflects that market trajectory. The event was held at Pegasus Park, where institutions like UT Southwestern work steps away from investors and businesses focused on advancing biotech research.
“Demand to attend our third annual UT Southwestern Innovation Days outpaced capacity, and we welcomed investors, entrepreneurs, industry, philanthropists, and more from across Texas and the U.S. to Pegasus Park to showcase the high quantity of wide-ranging, world class research initiatives being undertaken on campus by UTSW faculty and students,” said Brad Phelan, M.B.A., Associate Vice President of Technology Commercialization and Business Development in the Office for Technology Development (OTD) at UT Southwestern. “Advancing UTSW research toward the commercial market to positively impact patient lives is OTD’s overarching mission, and Innovation Days is one example of how we work to achieve this mission.”
This year’s event differed from the two previous competitions at Pegasus Park.
For the first time, participants were judged by the entire audience of investors, industry, and community partners instead of solely by a five-person judging panel.
Following each presentation, audience members asked questions and then ranked the proposals based on how well the value of the proposition was communicated, how likely the product would improve patient care, and likelihood of commercial feasibility in the next five years.
Presenters competed in two categories. The Pre-Fundraising Category involved earlier stage technologies or startups that had not initiated fundraising, while the Fundraising Pre-Seed/Seed/Series A Category entailed startups that had or would be raising funds soon. Winners in each category received $100,000 to further their research. Event sponsors were Lyda Hill Philanthropies, Marguerite Steed Hoffman, Norton Rose Fulbright, Polsinelli, NexPoint’s Texas Research Quarter, UTSW’s Blackstone LaunchPad, and MDB Capital.
The winners
Category: Pre-Seed/Seed/Series A
Winner: David Greenberg, M.D., Professor of Internal Medicine and Microbiology, a member of the Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine, and co-founder of Silentium
Proposal: Developing Precision Antibiotics for Drug-Resistant Bacterial Infections
Bacterial infections cause an estimated 7.7 million deaths worldwide. At the same time, worldwide antibiotic resistance is growing rapidly, creating a global public health threat. By developing the next generation of precision antibiotics, Dr. Greenberg’s goal is to address this growing health threat and save lives.
“Most antibiotics can kill both the pathogen that is causing the infection as well as the beneficial bacteria that live in or on us,” said Dr. Greenberg, also a Distinguished Teaching Professor. “This can further the problem of antibiotic resistance.”
Dr. Greenberg’s team is developing pathogen-specific antibiotics using a strategy that interferes with RNA processing.
“We use antisense molecules to target genes in a sequence-specific, species-specific way and design these ASObiotics to target genes that are essential for bacterial survival. When these genes are blocked, the bacteria will die,” he said.
ASObiotics (AntiSense Oligonucleotide biotics) are short oligomers or RNA mimics that are designed against specific genes in a particular pathogen, Dr. Greenberg explained. These oligomers bind to the target gene and prevent the target protein from being made. “ASObiotics are used to block genes in pathogens that are essential for those bacteria to survive. In many ways, this is what traditional small molecule antibiotics do. However, we are doing this in a pathogen-specific, gene-specific way that allows us to have personalized medicine for bacterial pathogens,” he added.
Certain diseases such as bronchiectasis, tuberculosis, and cystic fibrosis are treated frequently with large doses of antibiotics, which can lead to drug resistance. Bronchiectasis causes permanent lung damage and affects approximately 500,000 people currently in the United States.
Dr. Greenberg said winning the Innovations prize will assist his efforts to address the threat of drug resistance.
“I am thrilled and humbled to win this prize,” he said. “These funds will be critical in furthering our antibiotic development pipeline by jump-starting a new discovery program for a group of bacteria that cause significant morbidity and mortality in patients with certain kinds of chronic respiratory diseases.”
Category: Pre-Fundraising
Winner: Tamia Harris-Tryon, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Dermatology and Immunology
Proposal: Ointment to Treat Infections and Skin Diseases Caused by Staphylococcus and MRSA
With antibiotic resistance rising, Dr. Harris-Tryon has developed technology to combat skin and tissue infections, particularly those caused by Staphylococcus aureus.
Skin and soft tissue infections account for 7%-10% of hospitalizations and represent a significant challenge in health care, Dr. Harris-Tryon said. Staphylococcus, which is responsible for 75% of these infections, has become increasingly menacing with the rise of antibiotic-resistant strains, notably MRSA.
“This ointment could transform how we treat staph infections and skin conditions complicated by staph infections, like eczema,” Dr. Harris-Tryon said.
Beyond the immediate health implications, MRSA infections incur a staggering annual societal cost exceeding $1 billion. Current therapeutic options for bacterial skin infections, particularly those caused by S. aureus, are limited. The emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains exacerbates the challenge, emphasizing the critical need for innovative therapeutics to address skin and soft tissue infections, Dr. Harris-Tryon said.
The Harris-Tryon Lab has made a pivotal discovery by unraveling specific interactions between hormones and S. aureus. Leveraging this insight, her team has developed a modified hormone-derived small molecule drug that exhibits a projected ability to penetrate the skin, offering a targeted approach to treat skin infections caused by MRSA and all classes of S. aureus.
“Steroid hormones penetrate the skin well and we have been using them in medicine since the 1950s,” she said. “We expect our modified hormone to have a similar safety profile and are aiming to test the safety of this molecule through the commercialization process.”
Winning the prize for the patent-pending treatment will allow Dr. Harris-Tryon to move the ointment closer to commercialization.
“I am really excited to continue to pursue the commercialization of our small molecule treatment,” she said. “The prize reflects the hard work and creativity of our team of inventors, myself, Maria Sindhura John, Ph.D., and our co-inventors at the University of Colorado.”