XF Platform

Novel XF-platform targeting infections

The XF drug platform has a novel, ultra-rapid mechanism that reduces the chance of bacteria becoming resistant to its action.
Destiny Pharma’s XF platform has advantages over traditional antibiotics. The key potential benefits are significant:

Ultra-rapid bacteria kill

Studies have shown the XF drugs killing bacteria in vitro in less than 15 minutes; faster acting than standard antibiotics currently in use.

Ability to kill bacteria in any growth phase

This is an important feature as bacteria are not always actively growing. XF drugs are able to kill bacteria even when dormant.

Ability to kill bacteria within staphylococcal bacterial biofilms

Biofilms are an increasing problem that are poorly treated by current drugs as they act as a protective barrier for bacteria. They are associated with indwelling medical devices (for example, heart valves and joint replacements) and invasive medical devices (for example, catheters and endoscopes).

Active against all Gram positive bacteria tested to date and selected Gram negative bacteria

This includes clinically important and infection-causing strains, such as:

  • Staphylococcus aureus;
  • Propionibacterium acnes;
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis;
  • Bacillus anthracis;
  • Acinetobacter baumannii;
  • Clostridioides difficile;
  • Listeria monocytogenes;
  • Group G Streptococcus;
  • Streptococcus pneumonia;
  • Yersinia pestis;
  • Pseudomonas aeruginosa;

 

All existing antibiotic resistant strains of gram-positive bacteria tested to date are susceptible to XF drugs, including MRSA.

No bacterial (MRSA) resistance is seen to emerge

No bacterial (MRSA) resistance was seen to emerge in a landmark in vitro study of bacterial resistance that compared XF-73 to standard antibiotics currently in use. The bacteria (MRSA) did not demonstrate any resistance to XF-73 even after 55 repeat exposures (being the longest repeat exposure study published as far as the company is aware). This data was published in the prestigious journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy in June 2011 (Farrell et al., 2011) and reviewed in June 2020 in Trends in Microbiology (MacLean, 2020). In contrast, MRSA rapidly developed significant resistance to a range of antibiotics tested. A second study using clinical bacterial samples from a clinical trial of XF-73 provided the first clinical data supporting the same “no resistance profile”.