AMR network CARB-X expands reach

Launched in the US by BARDA in 2016, CARB-X has a budget of US$450m from 2017 till 2021 for antibacterial R&D, particularly for investments into the development of new drugs against high-priority drug-resistant Gram-negative bugs. The R&D network, which is backed by funding partners such as the US NIAID , the UK charity Wellcome Trust or the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, currently funds 34 projects including new antibiotics, rapid diagnostics, vaccines and other preventatives and other life saving products that target drug-resistant bacteria. CARB-X aims to increase its portfolio to up to 60 projects this year.

In the United States, an estimated 23,000 people die each year from drug-resistant bacterial infections, according to the CDC. In Europe, the number of deaths each year is estimated at 33,000.

The new accelerators located in the US, Denmark, Switzerland, Germany, UK and India  join CARB-X’s existing accelerator partners, CLSI, MassBio and RTI International in the US and the Wellcome Trust in the UK to provide scientific, technical and business support to the growing numbers of CARB-X-funded antibacterial research projects.

“We are expanding the accelerator network because our portfolio is much larger than originally anticipated and we need to grow, both geographically and in depth of resources," said Kevin Outterson, Executive Director of CARB-X. "We provide financial grants but also networked support in scientific and business issues. This is a pre-paid buffet for the companies powered by CARB-X. The best outcome would be more successful companies moving forward towards the market, with highly innovative antibacterial products.”

In that way CARB-X could prepare the ground for re-entrance of risk-averse Big Pharma, such as Sanofi, which recently spun out its early AMR activities, or Novartis, into the antimicrobial market. Most recently, the UK government proposed measures to provide further incentives for pharma companies to return to antimicrobial R&D.

New partners include: 

·      BaselArea.Swiss: BaselArea.swiss is the agency for promoting innovation and inward investment for the Basel region, one of the leading life sciences hubs and a major center for antibiotics research. BaselArea.swiss is backed by both public and private partners and supports entrepreneurs and companies in the implementation of their projects. Through its network of decision makers, innovators, researchers and experts, BaselArea.swiss provides access to knowledge and specialist know-how. Since 2017, the agency also manages BaseLaunch, a successful accelerator supporting groundbreaking therapeutics ventures with access to non-dilutive funding, industry access, expert knowledge, and infrastructure. BaselArea.swiss is located in Basel, Switzerland.

·      BioInnovation Institute (BII):  BioInnovation Institute is an international initiative for research-based innovation and entrepreneurship, embracing every phase of a life-science start-up.  BII, located in Copenhagen, Denmark, offers start-ups within medtech, biotech and pharma state-of-the art lab and office facilities, business acceleration programs, start-up business incubation, commercial support, unique funding opportunities and access to high-level mentoring and international networks. BII is an initiative of the Novo Nordisk Foundation, also the sponsor of the REPAIR Impact Fund.

·      Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP): C-CAMP is India’s premier Life Science innovation, entrepreneurship and technology hub as well as one of the largest life science incubators in the country. C-CAMP provides, funding, incubation, acceleration and mentorship to start-ups, and has built a vibrant ecosystem to nurture deep science driven enterprises.  An initiative of the Indian Government’s Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology and located in Bangalore, C-CAMP has funded, incubated and mentored over 110 start-ups in recent years.

·      Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND): FIND is a global non-profit organization that drives innovation in the development and delivery of diagnostics to combat major diseases affecting the world’s poorest populations. Its work bridges R&D to access, overcoming scientific barriers to technology development; generating evidence for regulators and policy-makers; addressing market failures; and enabling accelerated uptake and access to diagnostics in low- and middle-income countries. A WHO Collaborating Centre, FIND works with more than 200 academic, industry, governmental, and civil society partners worldwide, on over 70 active projects that cross six priority disease areas.

·      German Center for Infection Research (DZIF): With 35 establishments at 7 sites across Germany, DZIF is specialized in translational infection research with the aim of developing new diagnostic, preventative and therapeutic methods for treating infectious diseases. DZIF actively engages in AMR research and promotes innovative product development through funding, project management and regulatory support.

·      Institute for Life Sciences Entrepreneurship (ILSE): A non-profit organization located at Kean University in Union, NJ, USA, ILSE provides incubator space and accelerator services to life science companies and is a science-driven research institute working in partnership with entrepreneurs and major academic, non-profit, and corporate organizations. ILSE’s American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) Center for Translational Microbiology focuses on research in microbiome, advanced microbial genomics, clinical multi-drug resistance, and bioinformatics.

Most experts funded by CARB-X will come Berlin in mid-March to discuss recent progress at the 12th Berlin Conference on Life Sciences: Novel Antimicrobials and AMR Diagnostics 2019. More than 350 attendees from 20+ countries are expected to come. For programme see here.