This sounds promising

MSCRAMM^® is an acronym for Microbial Surface Components Recognizing Adhesive Matrix Molecules. These proteins are located on the surface of pathogenic organisms, such as bacteria and fungi, and play a prominent role in the process of infection. These proteins enable organisms to initiate and maintain an infection by adhering to specific sites on human tissue or implanted medical devices. Veronate is an antibody-based product designed to bind to specific MSCRAMM^® proteins, thereby preventing infections or reducing their severity.

First, by binding to the MSCRAMM^® proteins, these antibodies inhibit or block the invading organism from attaching to tissue or implanted or in-dwelling medical devices. Second, these antibodies coat the invading organism, identifying it for clearance by other cellular components of the immune system.

According to the United States Census Bureau, in 2001 there were approximately 43,000 VLBW infants weighing less than 1,250 grams at birth. These infants are particularly susceptible to hospital-associated infections. Various studies indicate that 30% to 50% of these VLBW infants will develop at least one hospital-associated infection during their stay in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The average length of stay in the NICU for these infants is approximately two months.

Not only do hospital-associated infections impact an infants health and development, but the cost to treat infections is significant. VLBW infants that develop a hospital-associated infection stay, on average, 20 additional days in the NICU when compared to those that do not acquire an infection. Also, recent studies suggest that infants who aquire such an infection may suffer long term neurological impairment