Oppilotech, a UK biopharmaceutical start-up for antibacterial therapies, has been selected for funding by a new public-private partnership, CARB-X (Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator).
Oppilotech’s programme is a six-month project for early screening work against a novel target involved in making a major constituent found on the outer envelope of Gram-negative bacteria.
The work is aimed at developing a new class of antibiotics. This is a significant goal as it has been more than 25 years since a new class was approved to treat acute infections.
CARB-X will foster access to capital and a range of expertise, including drug development and regulatory services.
The partnership was launched jointly by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).
It aims to address the threat of antibiotic resistant bacteria, which kills 700,000 people a year globally.
CARB-X is funded by BARDA and the Wellcome Trust, a global charitable foundation. It aims to invest up to $450m in the next five years.
Its goal is to accelerate the preclinical discovery and development of at least 20 new antibacterial products and progress at least two new products into human trials during that time.