Lead Inventor: Jonathan Dworkin, Ph.D.

Problem or Unmet Need:
Certain gram-positive bacteria develop spores, which are dormant, tough, non-reproductive structures that ensure the survival of the bacteria in conditions of environmental stress. These spores are resistant to ultraviolet, gamma radiation, desiccation, disinfectants and antibiotics among other things. The spore form of these bacteria is the basis of their pathogenesis causing several serious diseases. To name a few, botulism, gas gangrene and serious food poisoning are caused by certain spore forming Clostridium strains. Spore forming bacteria that cause anthrax have been used as weapons in bioterrorism. These bacterial spores are of serious concern in hospitals, the food industry and in dealing with Bioterrorism. The present invention holds enormous potential as a method to eliminate these spores.

Details of the Invention:
This invention describes a novel compound (part bacterial cell wall) that causes bacterial spores to exit the state of dormancy and start germinating, rendering them sensitive to chemical agents and antibiotics. A bacterial Serine/Threonine protein kinase has been identified that is essential for the germination response. Compounds have been identified that could be used to inhibit or stimulate germination at low concentrations, using these kinases.

Applications:
• The most important application of this invention is the development of a novel agents that would germinate spores, making them more susceptible to conventional antibiotic and disinfectant treatment
• It can possibly be used as an adjuvant to traditional antibiotic therapies
• Since food products are so susceptible to being infected by bacterial spores it might be a very important component of the food industry
• Since spore germination can be assayed in a high-throughput manner, the identification of compounds that inhibit or stimulate germination can be identified on the basis of their interaction with Ser/Ther Kinases

Advantages:
• The present invention is a spore germinant that works at very low concentrations as compared to the ones that are available today that work at micromolar concentrations that make them infeasible to be used at a larger scale
• The Ser/Ther protein kinase can be used to characterize agents that stimulate or inhibit these kinases to allow manipulation of spore germination

Patent Status: Patent Pending (WO/2009/042956) ~ see link below.

Licensing Status: Available for Licensing and Sponsored Research Support

Publications: Shah IM, Laaberki MH, Popham DL, Dworkin J. A eukaryotic-like Ser/Thr kinase signals bacteria to exit dormancy in response to peptidoglycan fragments. Cell. 2008 Oct 31;135(3):486-96.



Other Links:

• WIPO - WO/2009/042956

Further Information
Sara Gusik
Email: TechTransfer@columbia.edu

File Number: 2266