- Gram-negative bacterial infections are becoming an increasingly serious global health issue
- U.S. patent applications filed for three novel drug candidates: PKL200, TSL2200, and EAL2200
- Continued diversification of business initiatives to address Gram-negative bacterial threats
BOSTON and SEOUL, South Korea, July 2, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — More than 1,200 reported cases of CRE (Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae) infections have been reported in the In-cheon region of South Korea alone between January and April of this year. In addition, in June of this year, a report was released that an investigation had begun into Salmonella infections linked to eggs across seven U.S. states. These and other ongoing reports are raising awareness about the dangers of CRE, a representative Gram-negative bacterium, as infections caused by Gram-negative bacteria are becoming an increasingly serious global issue.
Amid the growing trend of infectious disease outbreaks caused by Gram-negative bacteria, we have determined that it is time to move forward with the commercialization of related technologies. Accordingly, we have recently completed U.S. patent applications for three novel endolysin-derived drug candidates showing strong antibacterial activity against Gram-negative and superbugs.
These newly patented drug candidates — PKL200, TSL2200, and EAL2200 — were derived from the GN200 development program that has been carried out over the past several years using the proprietary platform technology we named “itLysin.”
The drug candidate PKL200 demonstrates strong bacteriolytic activity against several major Gram-negative bacteria, including Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Klebsiella aerogenes, and Enterobacter cloacae, including CRE. It also exhibits antibacterial activity against Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC), which is one of the major causes of urinary tract infections (UTI). PKL200 is considered a highly promising drug candidate with potential for treating various indications, including intestinal CRE clearance, pneumonia, and urinary tract infections.
Another drug candidate, TSL2200, is a pipeline that offers rapid bactericidal effects against all types of Salmonella. It is expected to be used to prevent and treat Salmonella infections caused by contaminated eggs, meat, salads, tomatoes, and other foods. Its potential applications extend to the dairy, meat processing, and broader food processing industries, as well as being a treatment for food poisoning.
EAL2200 is a pipeline that provides antibacterial activity against bacteria of the Erwinia genus, which cause bacterial diseases in fruit crops, including fire blight. In a situation where there are currently no safe and effective treatments for fire blight, this pipeline is expected to be used as a bio-control agent and therapeutic with biological safety for both the environment and human health.
All of the newly patented drug candidates were developed through the itLysin platform, an advanced endolysin technology derived from our long-standing expertise in bacteriophage and endolysin technologies. Traditional antibiotics and other drugs have shown limited effectiveness against Gram-negative bacteria due to the outer membrane barrier. However, the drug candidates developed through the itLysin platform have been designed to more efficiently penetrate the outer membrane structure of Gram-negative bacteria, thereby overcoming the limitations of existing drugs and technologies.
This patent application was not merely for the purpose of securing rights but was a strategic decision focused on commercialization. While it was common in the past to file patents first and then seek commercialization opportunities, this time, the patents were filed based on thorough commercialization preparations. This is a strategy that effectively secures rights to the drug candidates and is advantageous in terms of technology security.
We are leading the development of new drugs against super bacteria based on our proprietary bacteriophage and endolysin technologies, and we have secured multiple promising pipelines. Recently, we have presented our commercialization strategy through press briefings and corporate presentations.
With global pharmaceutical companies showing significant interest due to the lack of effective antibiotics against Gram-negative bacteria worldwide, we plan to accelerate the development of pipelines targeting Gram-negative bacteria based on these recent patent applications. We will continue our efforts to achieve tangible results through various commercialization strategies.
it is iNtRON.
Contact Us
YOON, Kyung Won (Kevin) / CEO, Vice President / kwyoon@intron.co.kr
SHIN, Tae Kyu (TK) / BD Team Leader / tkshin@intron.co.kr
www.intodeworld.com
