Amebagone Inc. awarded National Science Foundation SBIR Phase II funding to develop natural biocides

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Amebagone Inc. was awarded a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Science Foundation to develop natural biocides for treating bacterial pathogens in pome fruits and vegetable crops. This award follows a successfully completed Phase I project proving our approach effective in vitro and en planta against Erwinia Amylovora (E.a.) a pathogen that attacks apple and pear orchards.

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Concerns about bacterial resistance resulted in a 2014 legislative ban on use of antibiotics in organic orchards, creating problems for growers.  Without effective solutions, growers will lose their organic status thus disrupting an established and growing industry.  AmebaGone is developing bio-control products that act like human immune cells to treat disease-causing infections in plants and people. Our approach completely consumes free-living AND dormant or persister bacterial cells including those encased in biofilms.

 

Our founder and Chief Scientific Officer (CSO),  Marcin Filutowicz, Ph.D. is a professor of bacteriology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He and Katarzyna Borys, Ph.D. first conceived of using a benign, soil-dwelling organism known as Dictyostelids (Dicty) as a natural predator of bacterial pathogens.  Their seminal work resulted in the issuance of two broad patents, now owned by the company covering multiple domains in agriculture, medicine, industry and beyond.  AmebaGone has licensed 3 collections of more than 3000 highly unique source material from many countries around the globe, much of which originated years ago (1936 and forward) and under conditions that no longer exist.  This allows us to develop highly specific point-source solutions.

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The development and commercialization of AmebaGone’s technology is supported by the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) programs of the National Science Foundation (Award No. IIP- 1534650) and the National Institutes of Health (Award No. 1 R41 EY024475-01A1).  For the NIH, we are developing a treatment for Bacterial Keratitis, a serious eye infection that can cause loss of sight.  This work was also supported by a micro-grant from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. (WEDC) through the Center for Technology Commercialization (CTC). 

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AmebaGone begins partnership with Dr. Curtis Brandt at the University of Wisconsin with Phase I STTR award from National Institutes of Health.

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In partnership with the University of Wisconsin, Dept. of Opthalmology department led by Dr. Curtis Brandt, AmebaGone has begun exploration of using Dictystelids as a treatment for bacterial eye infections that could result in loss of sight.  

This work is funded by a phase I Small Business Technology Transfer award underwritten by the National Eye Institute at the National Institues of Health.

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AmebaGone incorporates as an S corporation

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Effective January 1, 2015, AmebaGone is now an S Corporation registered in the state of Wisconsin.

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AmebaGone executes license to Dicty collection of Dr. James Cavender of Ohio University.

 

AmebaGone has executed a licensing agreement with Dr. James Cavender of Ohio University for exclusive access to his collection of Dictystelids spanning the globe and curated since the 1930s.

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AmebaGone executes exclusive license to Dicty collection at Shepherd University.

 

On November 1, 2014, AmebaGone executed an exclusive license to a robust collection of Dictystelids at Shepherd University in West Virgina.

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AmebaGone's founder at the University of Wisconsin-Madison receives a grant from the State Economic Engagement and Development (SEED) Research Program titled "Reviving and screening Dictyostelid’s collection for new drug discovery and other commercial use at the firm. 

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UW-Madison licenses Dr. Kenneth Raper's Archive (>2,000 Dicty strains) to Amebagone

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Second US Patent issued to AmebaGone (8,715,641)

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Wisconsin State Journal: "Finalists in the Biz Plan Contest include some familiar names."

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US Patent Application No: 2014/0030,227

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The present invention relates to amoebae (slime molds) and uses thereof. In particular, the present invention relates to the use of amoebae or their environmentally stable spores to treat microbial infections and other uses. Read news article

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NSF Phase I SBIR awarded to AmebaGone

 

The National Sceince Foundation (NSF) has awarded a Phase I SBIR for just under $150K to AmebeGone LLC for its project titled "Biological treatment of orchards to combat fire blight (Erwina amylovora)".

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US Patent Issued to AmebaGone

 

United States Patent no. 8,551,471 was issued to AmebaGone on Oct. 8, 2013 for "Therapeutic Amoeba and Uses Thereof."

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University of Wisconsin College of Letters and Science: Amoeba biotherapy: "New approach to combat intractable bacterial infections"

 

Article in Grow Magazine

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Grow - Wisconsin's Magazine for the Life Sciences: "The Infection Eaters"

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Grow Magazine | Marcin Filutowicz stumbled upon a potentially powerful biotherapy—using amoebas that feast on antibiotic-resistant bacteria to cure such ills as staph infections and diabetic ulcers.

Check out the full article