Tackling antimicrobial resistance

Funding for early-stage projects and global collaborations are aiming to breathe life into the fragile ecosystem for novel antibiotics.

Acurx Pharmaceuticals’ first-in-class antibiotic ibezapolstat shows efficacy against Clostridioides difficile infection while sparing the microbiome.

Forge Therapeutics has built a proprietary platform called MAGNET (Metalloprotein-targeting Approach to Generating New Experimental Therapeutics) to discover novel-class anti-infectives. With a development candidate to treat infections caused by high-priority Gram-negative pathogens, Forge is advancing its portfolio with partners worldwide.

Northern Antibiotics is developing improved versions of polymyxins to help fight against resistant Gram-negative bacteria and has three parallel programs in development.

Protein engineering company Lytica Therapeutics is pioneering the use of α-helical stapled antimicrobial peptides (StAMPs) to lyse and kill multidrug-resistant bacteria.

The Swiss pharmaceutical company BioVersys is developing next-generation antimicrobial drugs with unique modes of action targeting a range of multidrug-resistant bacteria.

Lysando AG’s Artilysin platform technology is producing novel antimicrobial proteins with a unique mode of action and a wide range of applications, from human and veterinary medicine to the food and cosmetics industry. Lysando is licensing the technology to companies all around the world.

Nosopharm is an innovative biotechnology company that is focused on exploring untapped microbial biodiversity to discover new drugs to fight antimicrobial resistance.

Amicrobe engineers biologics-as-materials that are applied locally in surgery and trauma to prevent and treat life-threatening infections.

Cytophage has developed a versatile bacteriophage-based antibacterial and antiviral technology targeting human and agricultural infectious diseases. With lead programs in avian and swine bacterial infections and in COVID-19, the company is seeking to expand its partnership network.

Biofilms are a major contributor to the global challenge of antibiotic resistance. BioFilm Control is leading the way in eradicating the biofilm barrier and overcoming antibiotic resistance with compounds that have blockbuster potential.