An international partnership created to encourage development of new antimicrobials and diagnostics awarded $24 million to scientists pursing 11 projects with an additional $24 million possible over three years, if the researchers make progress. It was the first round of money from the Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria Accelerator (CARB-X), formed last July with a goal of investing $450 million over five years.
The projects receiving support from CARB-X include three potential new classes of small-molecule antibiotics. “The last new antibiotic class approved was discovered in 1984,” said Boston University, where the non-project partnership is based. “Also in the pipeline are four innovative non-traditional products, which could offer alternate approaches to targeting and killing bacteria. Further distinguishing the pipeline’s focus on drug resistance, these projects target seven new bacterial targets.”
Emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, blamed on over-use in human medicine and animal agriculture, imperils the power of the drugs to cure disease. CARB-X was formed to spur development of new drugs, vaccines, rapid diagnostics and devices for use against bacteria.
The partnership has a goal of “accelerating the preclinical discovery and development of at least 20 new antibacterial products and progressing at least two new products into human trials during that time. If successful, the projects will be supported through early preclinical and early clinical development to a stage where they can be positioned to be taken forward by private investors,” said Boston University.