Amprologix chief scientific officer Mathew Upton talked with Proactive’s Stephen Gunnion about how the company aims to use £740,000 in fresh funding to push forward work on a treatment for drug-resistant infections, including MRSA.
University of Plymouth spin out Amprologix is developing Epidermicin NI01, a novel antibiotic aimed at treating methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA. Upton explained that the recent funding will be used to complete preclinical studies for Epidermicin NI01, ensuring the compound’s safety ahead of human clinical trials.
“This money is going to be used to advance our lead technology,” said Upton. “We need to run some final assays to prove that the lead molecule Epidermicin is not toxic before we go into human trials.”
The urgency to develop new classes of antibiotics remains high, with the World Health Organisation (WHO) repeatedly identifying a shortage of effective antimicrobials in the pipeline. Epidermicin represents a first-in-class solution that works differently from existing treatments, including those to which many bacteria have developed resistance.
Upton also highlighted the company’s broader strategy, including the use of an AI-driven accelerated evolution engine to expand its pipeline. The goal is to generate additional novel drug candidates targeting WHO-prioritised pathogens such as Clostridioides difficile.
Looking ahead, Amprologix is initiating Series A funding to support first-in-human trials and portfolio expansion.