About Us
Streptococcus pneumoniae is among the deadliest infectious disease agents across the world. Despite advancements in vaccine technology over the last few decades, S. pneumoniae continues to manifest as high hospitalization and mortality rates. Our goal at Pneumotactix is to develop therapeutics and vaccines that can significantly improve patient resistance to pneumococcal infections.
The immune system is the human body’s greatest weapon in the fight against infectious diseases. As such, we strive to find ways to improve the immune response against pneumococcal diseases. Current therapies in development include enzymatic degradation of the capsular polysaccharide, the bacterium's major infectivity factor. We also develop monoclonal antibodies against S. pneumoniae that promote the clearance of the bacteria.
Our studies are currently in pre-clinical stages. We collaborate with drug discovery experts, pulmonologists and epidemiologists to optimize drug availability and production, advance our cutting edge therapies to the clinic, and significantly reduce pneumococcal infections and mortality.
Fikri Y. Avci, Founder and Owner
Fikri Avci, PhD, founded Pneumotactix, LLC. He developed all projects through his research in immunology and infectious diseases. He is a leading expert in the field of glycoimmunology, and used this expertise as a foundation for the unique approach of modulating the immune response based on bacterial glycans. Dr. Avci is now an Associate Professor at Emory University in Atlanta, GA.
e-mail: fikri.avci@pneumotactix.com
Amy Paschall Leidy, CEO
Amy Paschall Leidy, PhD, serves as the CEO of Pneumotactix. She oversees all business relations and research collaborations. Her background in multiple disease models and immune cell functions has given her the knowledge needed to develop multiple therapeutic candidates against infections, particularly in the context of pneumococcal diseases. Her office is currently in Atlanta, Georgia.
email: amy.paschall@pneumotactix.com