Synthetic Biologics Inc., of Rockville, Md., presented initial data at the General Meeting of the American Society of Microbiology in New Orleans, supporting the development of a platform of therapeutics designed to protect the microbiome from carbapenems, a class of beta-lactam antibiotics. Work identified a beta-lactamase, P2A, which has the ability to protect the gut microbiome from a third class of beta-lactam antibiotics, carbapenems.