CARB-X awards $2.48 million for antimicrobial research

CARB-X, a partnership between U.K. and U.S. organizations, has awarded $2.48 million to Amicrobe Inc. for development of a bioengineered antimicrobial designed to help infected tissue.

Presently, the World Health Organization estimates drug-resistant infections kill 700,000 per year. In the United States alone, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has estimated around 23,000 victims to the same. CARB-X, a partnership of U.K. charity Wellcome Trust, the U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), hopes the new Amicrobe product could help reduce those numbers–especially in cases of surgical, emergency and post-disaster infections.

“The addition of the Amicidin-β program, which represents the first topically applied antimicrobial in the CARB-X portfolio, expands the diversity of our pipeline and reflects a novel approach against drug-resistant infections,” Kevin Outterson, executive director of CARB-X, said. “The Powered by CARB-X portfolio now has 20 projects including the Amicrobe project. These projects are in the early stages of research, and there is always a high risk of failure. But if successful, they hold exciting potential in the global fight against the deadliest drug-resistant bacteria.”

The project has the potential to be a market changer, due to its nature as a topical applicant that nevertheless provides rapid microbial activity and enhancement to intrawound activity. Further, it would be required to provide equitable access to the product, especially in low-income countries, as a condition of CARB-X funding.

If the project reaches certain milestones, it could receive up to $3.76 million more in funding from CARB-X.