smartbax was founded in 2021 as a spin-off from the TU Munich. Its technology is based on research from the lab of Prof. Stephan Sieber and the finding of a novel hit compound with highly promising antibacterial properties, such as no detectable development of resistance, broad-spectrum activity against MRSA and the ability to eradicate biofilms. Its unique dual mode of action involves the inhibition of menaquinone biosynthesis, an essential electron carrier for energy metabolism, and stimulation of protein secretion, which leads to a dysbalance in autolysin homeostasis causing self-digest and cell lysis. This mechanism of activating an enzymatic process is unprecedented in antibiotic drug development.
smartbax further intends to expand this activation strategy to additional targets, particularly in Gram-negative bacteria, against which it is now screening for activators to demonstrate the feasibility of enzyme activation as a new paradigm in antibiotic drug development.