Mechanisms of Action of Preservative Boosters in Bacteria

A deep mechanistic understanding of the action of chelating agents in controlling microbial growth, especially in combination with antibacterial agents, is needed. The Seeker requests detailed insights regarding the action of chelating agents, such as ethylenediamine tetraacetate (EDTA), in increasing the sensitivity of bacteria to a variety of antibacterial agents and suggested paths for identifying alternative chelating agents, or alternatives to use of chelating agents.

This is a Theoretical Challenge that requires only a written proposal to be submitted. The Challenge award will be contingent upon theoretical evaluation of the proposal by the Seeker.

Detailed Description & Requirements

Consumer products play an important role in the daily routines of increasing numbers of both female and male consumers worldwide. Preservatives and preservative ’boosters’, such as chelating agents are critical to ensuring the microbial safety of such products and providing adequate periods of shelf-life for both retailers and consumers.

The metal chelator EDTA is commonly regarded as a potentiator of the activity of other antibacterial agents and there are numerous literature citations that report the synergistic effect of EDTA and traditional preservatives and common cationic surfactants. One of the recognized modes of actions of EDTA is the disruption of the outer cell membrane of Gram-negative bacteria, thereby making the cell more sensitive to antibacterial agents. However, despite this recognized mode of action of EDTA, recent attempts to develop more sustainable alternatives to EDTA in consumer products has met with very limited success.

The Seeker is a global leader in the development, manufacture and supply of consumer products and wishes to better understand the mode of action of EDTA as a preservative booster in aqueous formulations of consumer products. This deep understanding will form the basis of ongoing research and the development of EDTA alternatives in their products.

The Seeker is willing to negotiate partnerships with successful Solvers who can provide evidence of their expertise and innovative insights in this topic and in related areas.

Technical Requirements

The Seeker requests White Papers offering deep insight into one or more of the following areas:

1. The key modes of action of EDTA and other metal chelators in boosting the antimicrobial action of antibacterial agents (e.g., cationic surfactants, isothiazolinones).
2. Research into the development of new sustainable chelator agents to act as potentiators of preservatives commonly used in the formulation of consumer products.

Project Criteria

The Seeker desires a thorough submission which should include detailed insights into the following areas:

• Understanding the mechanisms of action whereby chelators such as EDTA remove metals from bacterial cells or bacterial populations (e.g., biofilms) and subsequently boost the efficacy of antibacterial agents.
  
  
• Research strategies and avenues of investigation to identify novel alternatives to EDTA that are based on the mechanism of action understanding of how chelators potentiate the activity of other antibacterial agents. This research could include one or more of the following:
  
  • Microbial target molecules or processes for EDTA alternatives
  • Alternative compound classes or mechanistic rationales for identifying these
  • Suggestions for compound screening rationales or methods
  
  
  
• Experts in relevant research areas, such as microbial physiology, computational chemistry, organic chemistry, along with relevant citations.
  
  
• Evidence of the Solvers experience in relevant fields of research or development, without disclosing personal information or contact details.
  
  
• The availability of the Solver to negotiate partnership with the Seeker e.g. consulting, co-development, contract research.