Singapore: Australian infectious disease therapy and vaccine development company BioDiem has detailed a new phase of research to assess its novel antimicrobial BDM-I as a treatment for tuberculosis (TB) and fungal infections.

Contrators, who are being funded by the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) will use its 'In Vitro Assessment for Antimicrobial Activity Service' to test BDM-I's activity against a range of infectious fungi following on from a positive initial assessment with fewer types of fungi and strains.

Nearly 70 different strains of opportunistic or hospital acquired fungi with significant medical need, including some in the Cryptococcus genus, which can cause pneumonia-like illness, and several species of Candida, which can cause bloodstream infections, have been assessed for sensitivity to BDM-I.

BioDiem will also be using NIAID's 'Animal Models of Infectious Disease Service' for studies in an animal model of tuberculosis infection. This will establish the maximum tolerable dose in the animal and then test the overall effectiveness of BDM-I against TB. These studies are being conducted on the basis that primary and secondary in vitro tests were encouraging.

BioDiem CEO, Ms Julie Phillips said that the company had renewed a Non-Clinical Evaluation Agreement with NIAID, which is part of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH).