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Special Phage Holdings Pty Ltd (previously Special Phage Services) is a privately-owned Sydney-based biopharmaceutical company set up to develop and commercialize bacteriophage (phage) therapy products.
Antibiotics are progressively becoming less effective. There is an urgent need to find alternative therapies. Furthermore, there are very few new antibiotics on the horizon, which opens a gap in the market worth a conservative US$24 Billion. Phages offer a highly effective solution for treating resistant infections.
Phage therapy is being rediscovered because phages are able to destroy antibiotic-resistant bacteria in an ecologically-friendly and extremely safe way.
Phages are natural predators of bacteria and outnumber them 10 to 1 in the biosphere. Discovered during WW I by Felix d’Herelle, phage therapy grew rapidly in the 20’s and 30’s but was largely overshadowed by broad-spectrum antibiotics after WW II.
SPH is a biopharmaceutical company specializing in phage therapy, the first of its kind in Australasia. Since 2004 SPH has set up a phage therapy laboratory, built an extensive collection of proprietary therapeutic phages and developed several prototype products, some of which are now entering clinical trials.
The sectors of activity covered by SPH include human health, veterinary medicine, aquaculture and environmental remediation. In addition to seeking investors, SPH is actively seeking partners for collaborative research and/or commercial collaboration, typically as joint-venture or license partners. SPH is a member of the Australian Technology Showcase.
Bacteriophages (phages) are obligatory parasites of bacteria. They attach themselves to the surface of the bacterium, replicate 50 to 200-fold inside, and eventually destroy their host on exit. Most importantly, bacteriophages are highly specific for only one type of bacteria, leaving the normal flora intact. They can be combined in “cocktails” if “broad spectrum” activity is required (for example to treat dysentery or pus-forming wound infections). Finally, as phages are naturally occurring, they have proven to be extremely safe, without adverse side effects or residues.
SPH is currently trialing a range of proprietary phage therapeutics for human medicine, veterinary medicine and aquaculture.
The main competitive advantages of SPH are:
- Established phage laboratory and collection of proprietary therapeutic phages and phage preparations.
- Access to complementary phage technology through a world-wide network of academic and scientific collaborating centres.
- SPH phage therapeutics have not been genetically modified, being based on naturally occurring phages. This avoids issues with GMO regulatory registration, common in many countries.
- Business model based on a worldwide network of strategic alliances allowing SPH to leverage its technical know-how across several industry sectors.
Phage therapy will not replace antibiotics. Instead, the two technologies are highly complementary and in some cases phage therapeutics can potentially extend the useful life of many antibiotics. Several SPH products (MediPhage™, VetPhage™ and AquaPhage™) are now entering the clinical trial phase. SPH welcomes inquiries from potential licensing, joint-venture or investment partners. SPH welcomes approaches from human or animal health companies interested in novel anti-bacterials.
www.specialphageservices.com.au
 
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