In the much-needed area of antibiotic-resistant infections, Wisconsin start-up ConjuGon Inc. is developing therapeutics that will attack bacteria by using the pathogens' own abilities to evolve.

Founded in 2001 as a spin-out from the University of Wisconsin-Madison by professors Marcin Filutowicz and Richard Burgess, ConjuGon was so named based on the core technology developed by Filutowicz and exclusively licensed from the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF).

That technology is designed to take advantage of the naturally occurring process of bacterial conjugation, the same process that helps bacteria build up resistance to existing drugs.

A bacterium resistant to penicillin, for example, can pass on that resistance to another bacterium via an exchange of plasmids containing genetic information.

"Our focus is to use harmless donor bacteria to deliver killer genes into the pathogenic bacteria," said Sal Braico, chief operating officer of ConjuGon.

"Bacteria have evolved to be very receptive to conjugation," he told BioWorld Today. ConjuGon's technology exploits that receptivity to "create a Trojan horse, with genes inside it for the bacteria to receive."

Antibiotic resistance is a growing health problem, due largely to the increasing use of antibiotics. The FDA estimates that about 70 percent of the bacteria that cause hospital infections are resistant to at least one commonly used drug.

Because ConjuGon's approach involves attacking with multiple killer genes, the chances of resistance are "believed to be extremely low," Braico said.

"I'm not going to say it would be zero, because bacteria have been around for a very long time and are constantly evolving," he said. "But because we're using multiple killer genes," the opportunity for resistance is significantly reduced.

ConjuGon is preparing to begin preclinical testing on its first therapeutic, B-040405, aimed at treating large-wound infections caused by Gram-negative bacteria. The company already has "extensive in vitro and in vivo testing that shows that our first-generation product can conjugate and kill virtually any Gram-negative pathogen," Braico said.

Phase I trials are anticipated to begin around the middle of next year, with Phase II testing to start soon after.

The company hopes to follow up B-040405 with products for treating catheter-associated urinary tract infections and Gram-positive wound infections.

As a company of just eight people, ConjuGon will focus its resources on "taking products through Phase II," Braico said, "and then partnering with large companies that will handle marketing and distribution."

To date, the company has raised $3.75 million, and is working on its Series A round, expected to close later this year.

Much of its funding so far has come from angel investors, though the company has received a few grants, as well. The National Science Foundation has awarded two Small Business Innovation Research grants totaling $600,000, and the U.S. Army provided a $70,000 SBIR grant. ConjuGon received about $290,000 in economic development loans from the Madison Development Corp. and the Wisconsin Department of Commerce.

The company is located in the University Research Park in Madison.