Infex raises £4.3M for anti-infective R&D ahead of Phase 2a data on lead asset

The British biotech is preparing for further clinical development of RESP-X, an anti-virulence monoclonal antibody that recently completed a Phase 2a clinical trial. Licensed from Shionogi, the antibody targets a Pseudomonas aeruginosa virulence mechanism linked to tissue damage and immune system evasion.

P. aeruginosa is an opportunistic, multidrug-resistant pathogen that can cause acute or chronic infections, including in immunocompromised patients and people in intensive care units. People with the chronic respiratory disease non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis (NCFB) are among the patients vulnerable to the pathogen, which drives recurrent, potentially life-threatening exacerbations in the population.

Infex’s Phase 2a study evaluated RESP-X, also called INFEX702, in NCFB patients. The biotech will share data from the trial next week in a late-breaking abstract at the American Thoracic Society International Conference.

While Infex has yet to share the Phase 2a data publicly, the company has committed to preparing for further clinical development of the drug candidate. The financing will enable Infex to advance RESP-X toward later-stage clinical development, CEO Peter Jackson said in a statement. Infex sees opportunities to expand into cystic fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and acute hospital infections. 

Advancing the pipeline

British venture capitalist Jon Moulton supported Infex’s plans by leading the financing round. GM&C Life Sciences Fund, a £31 million regional seed and early-stage fund run by Catapult Ventures, participated in the round, as did existing high-net-worth investors.

As well as supporting RESP-X, the financing will enable Infex to expand its MET-X program and advance its preclinical assets. MET-X is a broad-spectrum metallo-beta-lactamase (MBL) inhibitor. Gram-negative Enterobacterales produce MBL enzymes, inactivating beta-lactam antibiotics such as meropenem and driving severe drug-resistant infections.

Last year, Infex partnered with the Indian pharma company Venus Remedies to explore the potential for MET-X to restore the activity of beta-lactam antibiotics. Under the partnership, Venus agreed to study MET-X in combination with meropenem, initially in healthy volunteers and later in a Phase 2/3 trial of patients with drug-resistant complicated urinary tract infections.

Infex’s preclinical pipeline includes a first-in-class BamA inhibitor. Working with Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Infex aims to disrupt bacterial membrane function in Gram-negative bacteria by inhibiting the protein. BamA is essential to the bacteria, but researchers have struggled to hit the target with small molecules. 

Evidence that darobactin A, a naturally occurring bicyclic heptapeptide, selectively kills Gram-negative pathogens provided the basis for a new approach. Researchers at Justus-Liebig-University Giessen made modified lead compounds based on darobactin A and partnered with Infex to advance the program.