Australian infectious disease therapy and vaccine development company BioDiem has announced the grant of its patent 'Method of Treatment of Scedosporium spp infections' in the key territories of the US and Europe.
Scedosporium infections are a type of fungal infection that can occur in patients with already damaged lungs. The infections can be local or extend into surrounding tissues or even to distant parts of the body. In patients with weakened immune systems, for example after chemotherapy, the risk of spread of infection is greater.
According to the company, Scedosporium infections are increasingly recognised as causes of resistant life-threatening infections in immunocompromised patients. The most common sites of infection are the lungs, sinuses, bones, joints, eyes, and brain.
BioDiem’s antimicrobial technology, BDM-I, is being developed through its subsidiary, Opal Biosciences.
BDM-I has shown antimicrobial activity in vitro against Scedosporium spp, said the company.