Milan Zdravkovic, MD, PhD

“The initial target indication that we're going forward [with] is a high-risk patient population of patients with hematological malignancy that are at risk of bloodstream infections, in particular translocation of gut bacteria from the gut lumen into the bloodstream. We have a highly selective approach using our CRISPR-Cas systems where we can eradicate [E Coli]. We are now focusing on E Coli, but our technology can be used for many other pathogens.”

Specifically targeting disease-causing pathogens in the bloodstream has remained a challenge for the medical community, and the challenge is especially difficult with regard to drug-resistant strains of bacteria.

, Milan Zdravkovic, MD, PhD, chief medical officer of SNIPR Biome, discussed the company’s on-going efforts to address this unmet medical need with CRISPR-Cas systems. He discussed the company’s clinical trial of one of these systems, which is focused on targeting infections of 

 that result from the translocation of gut bacteria into the bloodstream. Zdravkovic emphasized the utility of this approach in targeting drug-resistant strains of 

. He also mentioned that the same systems could be modified to target other pathogens, thus allowing for a diversity of applications, including the targeting of noninfectious pathogens.

Zdravkovic additionally discussed SNIPR Biome’s on-going partnership with Novo Nordisk focusing on the potential application of their CRISPR-Cas platform to gene editing in the cardiometabolic space.

Videos

Milan Zdravkovic, MD, PhD, chief medical officer of SNIPR Biome, discussed the company’s ongoing research on targeting E Coli in the blood with CRISPR-based medication. 

Milan Zdravkovic, MD, PhD

Articles

Milan Zdravkovic, MD, PhD, on Using CRISPR-Cas Systems to Target Pathogens