CARB-X is awarding $1.2 million to the Andrew G. Myers research group at Harvard University to develop enhanced antibiotics that target multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacterial pathogens, including Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, to treat urinary tract infections, pneumonia and bloodstream infections.

Centauri Therapeutics Ltd. has extended its series A financing round to £30 million (US$40.5 million) with the addition of a new £6 million (US$8 million) investment. Centauri initially closed its £24 million (US$32 million) series A round in 2022.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is increasingly compromising the effectiveness of essential antibiotics, resulting in higher global mortality and morbidity rates. Despite this urgent need, few new antibiotics, particularly against gram-negative bacteria, are in development.

Multidrug-resistant (MDR) gram-positive bacteria can evade last-line therapies, such as vancomycin, daptomycin and linezolid, through the development of sophisticated resistance mechanisms that include inactivation of target enzymes, mutations in binding sites, alterations in membrane permeability and overexpression of efflux pumps.

In earlier work, researchers from the Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology (Beijing, China) and collaborators identified a small-molecule inhibitor (IMB-H4) of the BamA-BamD interaction. By binding to the intracellular domain of unfolded BamA, IMB-H4 disrupts the BamA-BamD assembly, leading to outer membrane damage and filamentation in gram-negative bacteria.

In recent years, messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines have shown significant success in preventing viral and bacterial infections, as well as in cancer immunotherapy and other disease applications. In particular, the development of lipid nanoparticle (LNP)-encapsulated mRNA has revolutionized vaccine development thanks to several advantages, including elevated immunogenicity, rapid manufacturing and a generally favorable safety profile compared to viral vectors and traditional adjuvant-based vaccines.

The treatment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections is significantly challenged by the pathogen’s diverse resistance mechanisms, with biofilm formation being a key driver of antibiotic tolerance. Furthermore, P. aeruginosa pathogenicity is amplified by virulence factors that both evade host defenses and facilitate biofilm development.

Researchers from the Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II and collaborators described the antibacterial activity of N-19004, an antagonist of formyl peptide receptor 1 (FPR1).

GSK plc and the Fleming Initiative have announced six major new research programs to find new ways to slow the progress of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The Fleming Initiative is a collaboration established by Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust to help tackle AMR. Each of the new programs will begin by early next year and are fully funded for 3 years.