Polyphor AG awarded $2.62m to develop new antibiotic

Swiss biopharmaceutical company Polyphor AG has been awarded $2.62 million to develop a new antibiotic to treat serious Enterobacteriaceae Gram-negative bacterial infections, including those caused by life-threatening carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE).  

The funding comes from the Boston University led non-profit group CARB-X and will potentially be increased to $18.44 million if certain milestones are met by Polyphor.  

It’s the second antibiotic programme under development by Polyphor to win funding and support from CARB-X. Polyphore’s programme is focused on a novel thanatin-derivative belonging to the new Outer Membrane Protein Targeting Antibiotic (OMPTA) class of antibiotics. The company hopes it can treat life-threatening infections caused by difficult-to-treat bacteria and which are classed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the US Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) as an urgent health threat.

“Serious infections are a global health threat, due in part to the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria for which we do not have therapies,” said Erin Duffy, R&D Chief of CARB-X. “Polyphor’s project enriches the pool of novel approaches to deliver a therapeutic that can treat infections caused by multidrug-resistant Gram-negative pathogens, for which only one new class since 1962 has been approved for use in patients. It is in the early stages of development, and if successful and approved, it could potentially change the way these life-threatening infections are treated and save lives.” 

Enterobacteriaceae are a large family of different types of bacteria that commonly cause infections in healthcare settings. Examples include Escherichia coli (E. coli), Klebsiella pneumoniae and others resistant to nearly all antibiotics.

The novel thanatin-derivative antibiotics discovered by Polyphor and the University of Zurich aim to break down the outer membrane of the bacteria, which serves as protective armour against the effects of antibiotics. Specifically, the antibiotic works on a novel target, an essential transport mechanism used by Gram-negative bacteria called the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) transport protein A (LptA). This class of antibiotics shows potent and specific antimicrobial activity against Enterobacteriaceae, including extremely drug-resistant strains.

“CARB-X fosters the best science and most promising early development R&D projects in the world. This award provides further support to our research efforts in progressing a new class of antibiotics to combat antimicrobial resistance, one of the greatest global challenges for healthcare,” said Gokhan Batur, chief executive officer of Polyphor. “This second award is a strong validation of our innovative antibiotic platform and an important milestone in the implementation of our renewed strategy in this field presented earlier this year, and we would like to thank CARB-X for their ongoing trust and support.”