PolyMedix Inc., a biotechnology company in Radnor, Pennsylvania received a $986,000 Phase 2 small business grant from National Institutes of Health (NIH). The grant supports development of antimicrobial compounds for the treatment of oral candidiasis, a yeast infection affecting the lining of the mouth or tongue, through 31 August 2012.
Under the first portion of this grant, awarded in 2008, PolyMedix identified several small molecule defensin mimetic compounds with activity against candida. The company says defensin mimetic antimicrobial compounds are designed to mimic human host defense proteins, the body’s natural defense against bacterial infections.
The grant’s goal is to determine the optimal compounds and conditions under which the defensin mimetic antimicrobials can be applied to oral mucosa in order to efficiently clear an oral candida infection. This phase of the grant aims to provide a development lead candidate for further development as a topical treatment for oral candidiasis. Gill Diamond, associate professor of oral biology at University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, is working with PolyMedix on the project.
Photo: D. Sharon Pruitt/Flickr
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You might wonder what are the symptoms of yeast infection? The candida infection happens principally as a consequence of overgrowth of the yeast in your body and sometimes occur without any symptoms.