Andreas Vilcinskas, Institute for Insect Biotechnology, Justus Liebig-University Giessen, Germany, Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology, Department Bioressources, Giessen, Germany
The increasing prevalence of human pathogens which evolved resistance against a number of therapeutic antibiotics, the so called multi-drug-resistant (MDR) bacteria, along with the gap in developing new antibiotics raises increasing public concern and fosters the search for new candidate molecules displaying antibacterial activity, particularly against Gram-negative bacteria. Sanofi and the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Europe’s leading organization for applied research, have launched in 2014 a natural product center of excellence to accelerate the discovery and development of new therapies to treat infectious diseases.
Sanofi and Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME will collaborate to identify and optimize novel naturally occurring chemical or biological compounds, mainly in the field of infectious diseases. This novel private-public-partnership addresses the seriously growing demand for novel antibiotics, particularly against Gram-negative bacterial pathogens. Sanofi will share its strain collection, one of the world’s largest, consisting of over a hundred thousand different micro-organisms, with Fraunhofer, and in addition is bringing its know-how in anti-infective research. The common scientific work aims to develop novel methods to cultivate microbes under various conditions and then stimulate them to produce active substances that can potentially be used as leads for the development of novel drugs.
The Sanofi strain collection will be complemented by insect-derived microbes from the Fraunhofer department of Bioresources headed by Prof. Vilcinskas. The latter is pioneering insect biotechnology and insect associated symbionts have emerged as promising producers of novel natural products displaying antimicrobial activity. The innovations provided by Fraunhofer and the input of Sanofi which encompasses decades of experience in bringing drugs on the market will together trigger the development of novel drugs.
