Editor’s Note: This interview was conducted at #Bio2018. Please pardon the background noise.

Dr. Shenda Baker is Chief Executive Officer of Synspira, a clinical stage biotech company developing a new class of glycopolymer-based therapeutics that have the potential to address a major unmet need associated with pulmonary disorders.

Synspira new class of glycopolymer-based therapeutics are focused on the chronic infection and related mucus accumulation and inflammation which often lead to exacerbations, hospitalizations and irreversible lung function decline in diseases including cystic fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and pneumonia. Synspira is using proprietary modified polysaccharide molecules to disrupt cohesion of bacterial biofilms and thick mucus, exposing otherwise protected bacteria to antibiotics and potentiating the activity of traditional antibiotics. This new approach to the treatment of disease pathology has the potential to improve pulmonary function and reduce antibiotic resistance in a number of infectious diseases.