Traditional approaches to developing complex antibiotics, such as tetracyclines, are based on semi-synthetic production. These approaches have yielded many valuable products, but have limited the range of potential chemical diversity that can be developed from a core molecule. This, in turn, limits the range of potential biological activities that can be carried out. Historically, only minor structural changes could be made to core chemical structures produced via microbial fermentation. Nearly all semi-synthetic efforts have been directed at a small number of substitutions on one of the tetracycline rings, and this lack of chemical diversity has led to limitations in anti-infective diversity.

For the first time, Tetraphase has developed a scientific approach to design/develop next generation tetracyclines through synthetic modulation; using a tetracycline backbone -- with its proprietary chemistry platform -- Tetraphase is able to synthetically modify any position on the tetracycline scaffold, allowing for an infinite number of diverse analogs.

Tetraphase’s proprietary approach to antibiotics truly represents a platform – or product engine – for developing novel antibiotics with the ability for detailed and specific chemical modification that enables:

• The synthesis/development of a wide range of antibiotics as the foundation for a portfolio of novel and potent [IV and oral] antibiotics, including highly efficacious:
• Broad spectrum (gram positive and negative) antibiotics against multi drug resistant infections
• Selective spectrum antibiotics against infections like complicated urinary tract infections (cUTI) and community acquired bacterial pneumonia (CABP).

Leveraging its proprietary chemistry platform, as well as the extensive scientific and clinical knowledge gained from decades of tetracycline usage, Tetraphase is designing next generation antibiotics that have the potential to radically improve the treatment of both broad and selective infections.