Bacteria eaters win out

Privately held Sydney biotech Special Phage Holdings (SPH) has won the 2008 NSW BioFirst Commercialisation Award.

SPH, formerly known as Special Phage Services, is developing and commercialising a range of bacteriophage therapy products aimed at antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

It is currently in a clinical trial at an unnamed Sydney teaching hospital to treat a patient suffering a multi-resistant bacterial infection.

Phages were discovered during WW1 by Felix d'Herelle and were commonly used in the former Soviet Union, but interest waned in the west following the development of antibiotics.

The arrival of multi-resistant bacteria, however, has rekindled interest in their potential application.

Phages are viruses that infect bacteria and are thought to be one of the most ubiquitous organisms in the biosphere.

As part of the award, announced last night, SPH will receive $8000 for a business development trip to North America from awards sponsor Merck Sharpe and Dohme, as well as in-kind services from other sponsors PricewaterhouseCoopers, Allens Arthur Robinson, Invetech and Buchan.

The other award nominees were Fermiscan, which has developed a diagnostic for breast cancer based on human hair; Cryosite, the well-known service for the collection and storage of cord blood, and Biotron, which is developing a hepatitis C drug.

Other nominees were medical device companies ASP Healthcare, a manufacturer of safe needle and syringe storage kits, and Yeescope, a one-piece laryngoscope manufacturer.

Last year's winner, TeleMedCare, which markets telehealth solutions for medication management and remote monitoring for chronic conditions, used part of its award to refine its software and gain greater security for its IP, NSW Minister for Science and Medical Research, Verity Firth, said.

The company has signed a contract to provide tele-health services to an NHS trust in the UK and has commenced a trial with the WA Health Department, she said.