Canadian life sciences company Ondine Biomedical Inc. will present new research on the efficacy of antimicrobial photodynamic therapy, known as photodisinfection, against extensively drug-resistant gram-negative bacteria at the 7^th International Consortium on Prevention & Infection Control (ICPIC) taking place in Geneva, from 12-15 September 2023. ICPIC is a leading international conference on the prevention of healthcare-associated infection and the control of antimicrobial resistance around the world.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses an urgent global public health threat. The US has shown an alarming increase of 35% in AMR Enterobacteriaceae infections[i] and analysis published in The Lancet found that 1.27 million deaths worldwide in 2019 were the direct result of drug-resistant bacterial infections.[ii] Extensively drug-resistant (XDR) bacteria are a particularly concerning category of multidrug-resistant organisms that are proving resistant to almost all or all approved antimicrobial agents.[iii]

Dr. Nicolas Loebel, Ondine’s CTO and President, commented:

“Overuse of antibiotics over decades has caused adaptation in many microbes, and we now see multidrug resistance (MDR) evolving into extensive drug resistance (XDR) in bacteria, rendering even the most powerful drugs ineffective. We believe photodisinfection can play a significant role in cost effectively combatting these drug-resistant pathogens and reducing global reliance on antibiotics.”

Photodisinfection is an easy-to-use alternative to antibiotics and antifungals, including MDR and XDR strains, because it is highly effective against all types of disease-causing pathogens and, as a non-biological treatment, does not generate resistance.

Ondine’s photodisinfection is a patented technology using a proprietary photosensitizer that when illuminated with a specific wavelength of non-thermal red light, causes an oxidative burst that produces reactive oxygen species that are lethal to bacteria, fungi, algae, protozoa and viruses, by utilizing multi-target action mechanisms. Ondine is a previous winner of an ICPIC Innovation Award of Excellence for its clinical and pre-clinical work demonstrating photodisinfection efficacy against numerous SARS-CoV-2 strains.

The poster presentation, “Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy Against Extensively Drug-Resistant (XDR) Gram-Negative Isolates With Novel Antibiotic Resistance Factors”, will be presented at ICPIC from 1pm CET on 13 September 2023. A further announcement will be released by the Company concurrent with the start of the presentation at ICPIC.

[i] CDC. COVID-19: U.S. Impact on Antimicrobial Resistance, Special Report 2022. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CDC; 2022. doi:https://dx.doi.org/10.15620/cdc:117915

[ii] The Lancet, Volume 399, Issue 10325, P629-655, February 12, 2022 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(21)02724-0

[iii] https://www.news-medical.net/health/What-are-Extensively-Drug-Resistant-(XDR)-Bacteria.aspx