A nasal spray that could potentially prevent childhood ear infections and reduce antibiotic use is a step closer to clinical trials thanks to a $500,000 CUREator grant.
Spritz-OM guards the ear from infection using ‘friendly bacteria’ and aims to reduce the incidence of middle ear infection, or otitis media, in young children.
Developed by researchers at The Kids Research Institute Australia and The University of Western Australia, the nasal spray has been shown to work in the laboratory and work is now underway to start clinical trials.
Scientific Lead and Spritz-OM Inventor, Associate Professor Lea-Ann Kirkham, said more than 700 million children worldwide suffered an ear infection every year, with one in four experiencing recurrent infections and requiring antibiotics.
“For Aboriginal children, this figure increases to one in two children,” Associate Professor Kirkham, who is also Co-Head, Bacterial Respiratory Infectious Disease Group at The Kids’ Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases, said. “This funding will springboard Spritz-OM toward clinical trials to assess the nasal spray’s safety and efficacy for preventing childhood ear infections.”
If successful, Spritz-OM could reduce antibiotic dependence and prevent severe ear infections that can lead to hearing loss.
The grant has been made possible by CUREator, a national biotechnology incubator run by Brandon BioCatalyst to support the development of Australia’s biomedical and research innovations. Funded by the Medical Research Future Fund and Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, CUREator provides grant funding programs for opportunities spanning from discovery to clinical development.
It is one of five grants awarded as part of the Minimising Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) stream of funding to target the growing threat of AMR. The World Health Organization identifies AMR as one of the biggest threats to global health and predicts that by 2050 it will be the world’s leading cause of death.
Associate Professor Kirkham said that, globally, otitis media was the main reason children were prescribed antibiotics and underwent surgery. Treatment costs $500 million every year in Australia and US$5 billion in the United States.
“Otitis media prevention would mean fewer GP visits, fewer antibiotics, and fewer surgeries, allowing redirection of healthcare resources and reduced antimicrobial resistance pressure,” she said.
“Socioeconomic value from otitis media prevention includes reduced absenteeism, improved hearing and educational outcomes, mitigation of health inequity, and enhanced wellbeing.”
Associate Professor Kirkham said the grant would advance manufacturing of Spritz-OM so clinical trials can get underway.