Biopharma awarded $6.4m for drug that fights 'nightmare bacteria'

French biopharmaceutical firm Mutabilis has been awarded $6.4 million to develop a new drug to treat infections caused by Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) bacteria. 

The funding comes from the non-profit partnership CARB-X, with Mutabilis being eligible for an additional $5.8 million if certain project milestones are met. 

Dubbed the 'nightmare bacteria', CRE can cause deadly infections that cannot be effectively treated with existing antibiotics.  Mutabilis’ drug EBL-1463, is a novel class of non-beta-lactam inhibitor of penicillin binding proteins (PBPs) called dabocins. It kills bacteria in the same efficient way as beta-lactams – by interfering with the cell wall synthesis of the bacteria. Contrary to beta-lactams, however, EBL-1463 shows unmatched stability to class A, B, C and D beta-lactamases. The project is in the preclinical phase.

“New treatments are urgently needed to address serious life-threatening antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections, like those caused by CRE and other Gram-negative bacteria for which there are few treatment options,” said Erin Duffy, chief of Research and Development at CARB-X. “The novel inhibitor of penicillin-binding proteins designed and optimised by Mutabilis is an achievement in this area of antibacterial drug discovery.  If it progresses through clinical development, it will be an important new antibiotic for patients suffering from infections caused by drug-resistant Enterobacterales.”

“The support from CARB-X is a great achievement for the Mutabilis team and our EBL-1463 program. We are very proud to have been selected by CARB-X which recognizes the potential of our dabocins family for the treatment of Gram-negative resistant infections. Following the support received from ENABLE (ND4BB/IMI) and the Novo Holdings Repair Impact Fund, this award from CARB-X is new evidence of the ability of our team to advance innovative scientific programs and fund them. We want to thank all of them for their investment in combating AMR,” said Wandrille Ract-Madoux, CEO of Mutabilis.