XL TechGroup, Inc.
07 February 2008
Press Release 7 February 2008
XL TechGroup, Inc.
('XL TechGroup' or 'the Company')
QuoNova - promising early-stage results in inhibiting
biofilm formation by MRSA strains and fungal organisms
XL TechGroup (AIM: XLT), the creator of companies that solve identified, global
unmet market needs, is pleased to advise that its 88.7% owned company QuoNova
LLC has generated preliminary in-vitro data indicating high efficacy of selected
Quorum Sensing Blockers ('QSB') in inhibiting biofilm formation by MRSA
(methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) strains and fungal organisms such
as Candida.
QuoNova was founded in December 2006 and is the fifth portfolio company of XL
TechGroup. QuoNova produces safe, efficacious, anti-virulence agents in the
global fight against infection and damage caused by microbial biofilms.
QuoNova's business strategy is to develop and commercialize its proprietary QSB
platform to address unmet needs in several multiple multi-billion dollar markets
including therapeutics, medical devices, consumer care, agriculture and several
industrial applications.
QuoNova has optimized its proprietary QSB technology to obtain small molecules
with a broad activity profile that are effective against multiple pathogenic
Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains as well as fungi. These
promising results, which have been confirmed independently and are the subject
of continuing research, further underscore the potential of QuoNova's QSBs in
combating the detrimental effects of biofilms, especially in clinical
environments, where mixed microbial communities predominate. MRSA bacteria
(hospital and community acquired) cause increasing healthcare problems due to
their resistance against most conventional antibiotic therapies.
Importantly, QuoNova's QSB technology is an anti-virulence approach, which shows
potential to prevent the consequences of infection from such drug-resistant
bacteria, without inducing resistance itself. QuoNova has recently demonstrated
the efficacy of its QSB technology in a predictive animal model where QSBs
significantly reduced the ability of clinically relevant bacteria to colonize
secondary burn wounds. In addition, a marked synergy with Silver Sulfadiazine,
a commonly used antibacterial preparation, has been observed.
John Scott, CEO of XL TechGroup, commented: 'We are pleased with QuoNova's
progress towards developing its disruptive QSB anti-virulence technology into a
powerful new product against major drug-resistant micro-organisms. These
results significantly expand the original activity spectrum of its QSB platform
to include MRSA and Candida strains, reflecting wider application potential in
areas of significant unmet needs.'
- Ends -
For further information:
XL TechGroup Inc.
Dr. John Scott, CEO / Harold Gubnitsky, EVP Tel: +1 321 409 7403
[email protected]
Chris Munden, Director of Investor Relations Tel: +44 (0) 20 7398 7720
[email protected] www.xltechgroup.com
Nomura Code Securities
Richard Potts, Corporate Finance Tel: +44 (0) 20 7776 1200
www.nomuracode.com
XL TechGroup media enquiries:
Abchurch Communications
Heather Salmond / Gareth Mead Tel: +44 (0) 20 7398 7700
[email protected] www.abchurch-group.com
NOTES TO EDITORS
About QuoNova
QuoNova was founded in December 2006 and is the fifth portfolio company of XL
TechGroup. QuoNova produces safe, efficacious, anti-virulence agents in the
global fight against infection and damage caused by microbial biofilms.
QuoNova's business strategy is to develop and commercialize its proprietary
Quorum Sensing Blocker ('QSB') platform and introduce a disruptive paradigm of
'smart microbial control'. QuoNova is targeting multiple multi-billion dollar
markets including therapeutics, medical devices, consumer care, agriculture and
several industrial applications.
Micro-organisms use chemical signal molecules to communicate and recognize
population density (Quorum Sensing) in order to organize their social behaviour,
and co-ordinate the production of virulence factors, such as the release of
toxins and biofilm formation. Biofilms are complex matrices produced by
colonies of micro-organisms, and are very difficult to eradicate as they protect
themselves against the immune system or conventional treatments such as
antibiotics or biocides. In the healthcare environment they contribute
significantly to complications in lung disease and wound healing, to medical
device-associated infections as well as to dental plaque and contact
lens-associated infection. In the home and in industrial processes they are a
major cause of contamination, corrosion and efficiency reductions.
QuoNova's QSB technology disrupts microbial communication systems and by so
doing inhibits toxin production, prevents biofilm formation and promotes
degradation of already established biofilms. Moreover, research to date
indicates that QuoNova's QSB compounds are non-toxic and safe. QSB molecules
employ an anti-virulence approach and do not kill micro-organisms, but instead
influence their life style to maintain or return them to a state where they can
be removed by intrinsic control mechanisms such as the immune system or by
treatments much less aggressive than those currently available. This should
significantly reduce or eliminate the processes that lead to the development of
drug resistant organisms, and differentiates QSBs substantially from
conventional antimicrobial approaches. QSB molecules will therefore initiate a
new era in preventing the effects of microbial colonization, capable of
overcoming the decreasing effectiveness of conventional treatments against
biofilms and multi-resistant pathogens.
For further information, see www.quonova.com
About XL TechGroup
XL TechGroup is in the business of significant value creation. Working with
major international corporate and technology partners such as AES, Procter &
Gamble and leading universities, XL TechGroup first identifies global unmet
market needs and then targets and exploits these by the systematic creation of
successful, disruptive technology businesses. These new companies are built
from scratch, and are then managed, developed and funded by XL TechGroup through
to the point of a trade sale or a stock market listing.
XL TechGroup's unique and proven methodology selects the best opportunities in
order to create one-to-two new companies annually, where each company is
expected to achieve a realisable valuation of at least US$400 million within
four years from its creation. It is XL TechGroup's aim to deliver significant
shareholder distributions at the final exit from each company or from other
liquidity events.
XL TechGroup's companies to date are:
• PetroAlgae LLC (www.petroalgae.com)
• TyraTech Inc. (AIM: TYR, www.tyratech.com)
• DxTech LLC (www.dxtech.com)
• QuoNova LLC (www.quonova.com)
• AgCert International plc (LSE: AGC, www.agcert.com)
XL TechGroup has also established GenXL LLC as a joint venture to capture the
value of those prospects that do not fully meet XL TechGroup's US$400 million,
four year criteria but still demonstrate considerable potential worth. Over and
above XL TechGroup's core business model, GenXL is reviewing a significant flow
of opportunities from both XL TechGroup and GEN3 in order to generate new
companies, standalone product lines and technology licensing opportunities or an
appropriate mix of these.
For further information, see www.xltechgroup.com.
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange 