His project is developing a new class of drugs based on precision medicine principles. These drugs are designed to target specific organs or tissues, enhancing therapeutic efficacy while minimizing side effects.
“The technology can be used to treat localized infections, such as skin and soft tissue infections, osteomyelitis, endocarditis, and pneumonia, says Frank Hernandez”
The goal is to complete the preclinical phase for an experimental antibiotic and initiate first-in-human studies to bring this innovative technology closer to clinical use.
"This project represents the second phase of our TOUCAN platform development."
TOUCAN Technology, a company co-founded by Frank Hernandez and soon transferred to Theralia AB, integrates conventional drugs with a nano-transport system for targeted delivery. Like a GPS it identifies bacterial infections within the body, delivering treatment with high precision, efficacy, and minimal side effects.
“The nano-transport is a short nucleic acid (e.g., DNA) carrying the drug. It remains inactive in the blood and only activates upon detecting a bacterial infection, releasing the drug to kill bacteria. This makes the drug harmless and safer for other parts of the body. In short, the drug works only where it's needed.”
Although demonstrated in bacterial infections, this approach has potential applications for treating conditions such as cancer and autoimmune diseases.
“The ultimate goal of this project is to begin the validation of TOUCAN technology in human clinical trials through the development of the first targeted antibiotics. Once the pre-clinical phase is completed, we will validate the safety features of the TOUCAN technology in humans, followed by its application in treating infections using this technology”, says Frank Hernandez.
