Compositions and methods for the removal of biofilms
AssigneesNationwide Children's Hospital, Inc., University of Southern California
InventorsSteven D. Goodman, Lauren O. Bakaletz
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Abstract
Methods of breaking down a biofilm or inhibiting, preventing or treating a microbial infection that produces a biofilm are disclosed, which involves administration of a polypeptide that has one or more HMG-box domains to a subject suffering from the infection or having the biofilm. By competing with microbial proteins that bind to DNA scaffold in the biofilm, these polypeptides destabilize the biofilm leading to destruction and removal of the biofilm by the immune system.
Claims12
A method for inhibiting, competing or titrating the binding of a deoxyribonucleic acid B II (DNABII) polypeptide to a microbial DNA in a biofilm, comprising contacting the microbial DNA in the biofilm with an effective amount of an isolated or recombinant polypeptide comprising a high mobility group-box domain (HMG-box domain) thereby inhibiting, competing or titrating the binding of the DNABII polypeptide to the microbial DNA.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.