Riptide Antibiotic Peptide Shows Efficacy in Diabetic Wound Model

January 17, 2023

SAN FRANCISCO, CA. – A designed host defense peptide (dHDP) developed by Riptide Bioscience, Inc., has shown striking efficacy in a murine model of infected diabetic wounds. The research was reported in a peer-reviewed manuscript published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.

The dHDP designated RP557 was developed through several generations of iterative design and has shown activity in a number of other topical disease models, as documented in previous publications. In the current research, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was introduced into wounds in a Type 2 diabetic strain of mice. Daily application of RP557 substantially suppressed bacterial growth, allowing the immune system to resolve infections in all the treated animals. In addition, according to the researchers, “RP557 markedly increased the rate of closure of infected wounds and returned them to that of uninfected wounds within five days.”

Riptide President Dr. George Martin stated, “This work has potentially major significance, in that diabetic wounds are a widespread and urgent problem. Diabetic ulcers afflict 15% of diabetics, with some 20 million patients worldwide. 18% of those patients require amputation. RP557 shows potential to address ulcers topically with greatly reduced likelihood of bacterial resistance.”

The work was supported by awards from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, and the Department of Defense Medical Research and Development program.

The paper entitled “A Designed Host Defense Peptide for the Topical Treatment of MRSA-Infected Diabetic Wounds,” is available at https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24032143.

Riptide Bioscience, Inc., with laboratories in Vallejo, California, maintains an intensive program of research into peptide-based therapeutics. Contact: info@riptidebio.com