US deal to test Biosignal compounds in catheters

Sydney-based Biosignal (ASX:BOS) and the Institute for Eye Research have established a collaboration with a US-based medical device company to test Biosignal's anti-biofilm compounds coated on catheters.

This follows a similar collaboration struck late last year with a major European-based medical products company.

While the two companies could not be identified, Biosignal CEO Michael Oredsson said both firms sold a broad range of medical devices other than catheters to which Biosignal's technology could also be applied.

Biosignal said the US company was a leader in surgical specialty products with worldwide operations and annual sales well over US$1 billion. Both companies will provide funding to cover the initial testing of Biosignal's technology.

"The main benefit is that we're establishing early relationships," said Oredsson. "The initial deals are designed to demonstrate activity with specific devices over a short time frame and then to move into a more significant product development licensing deal later this year."

Biosignal's lead project is developing antibacterial compounds for contact lenses using synthetic analogues of antimicrobial molecules based on furanones secreted by the eastern Australian seaweed Delisea puilchra.

"The first step is always to show that what we have developed for contact lenses initially can be made to work on other devices as well," said Oredsson.

For the US collaboration, Biosignal will adapt its compound attachment techniques for catheter polymers and will test silicon and latex. Catheter coupons will be coated with Biosignal's anti-biofilm compounds and tested in vitro for antibacterial activity over 20 days. Testing will be conducted in the US and will compare Biosignal's technology with uncoated catheters and current silver coated anti-bacterial catheters. Results are expected in the third quarter of 2006.

"Things like central venous catheters, urinary catheters, catheters for dialysis happen to be some of the more interesting devices from our point of view, because you get a lot of device-related infections from those," said Oredsson. "That's exactly what Biosignal's technology is designed to prevent or to disrupt. In these cases it's mainly prevention because infections happen because you get biofilms [bacterial colonies] forming on the surface of these devices."

The European collaboration will test Biosignal's technology in parallel at the European company's laboratories and at the University of NSW. Again, the project will first adapt the surface attachment of Biosignal's compounds for silicon catheter surfaces and then investigate inhibition of biofilms on the catheter surfaces. Testing will start in January and will be completed in the second quarter of 2006.

Oredsson said he could not specify exact figures, but that initial funding from the partnerships was in tens of thousands of dollars. The next stage of clinical testing would lead to investment in the six-figure ballpark, he said.

Both agreements are as a result of Biosignal's collaboration with biotech consultancy Puretech Development in Boston. "We're looking to make a few more of these deals, at least one initially and more in the future," said Oredsson.

Biosignal's shares were steady at $0.18 at the time of writing.