CARB-X Launches 2019 Funding Rounds
Applications invited from product developers around the world for grants supporting the development of antibiotics, vaccines, diagnostics and other life-saving products that target drug-resistant bacteria.
(BOSTON, MA) – CARB-X announced today its 2019 rounds of funding to support the development of antibiotics, vaccines, biotherapeutics, diagnostics, and other life-saving products to address the rising threat of drug-resistant bacteria. There are four funding rounds representing CARB-X’s most ambitious call for proposals from product developers seeking financial, scientific, and business support to accelerate the development of innovative products targeting the most dangerous superbugs.
Each of the four rounds has a specific scope and application period.
- Non-traditional approaches: Funding Round 1 will be open for Expressions of Interest June 3–June 10, 2019, 5PM ET. The scope of Round 1 is restricted to non-traditional approaches—alternatives to antibiotics—including, for example, indirect-acting small molecule therapeutics, direct acting or indirect-acting large molecules, microbiome, phage, nucleic acid/antisense, and drug conjugates
- Vaccines and biotherapeutics: Funding Round 2 will be open for Expressions of Interest July 8–July 15, 2019, 5PM ET. The scope of Round 2 is restricted to vaccines, therapeutic and preventative antibodies/fragments, and other large molecule biotherapeutic approaches
- Diagnostics: Funding Round 3 will be open for Expressions of Interest August 12–August 19, 2019 5 PM ET. The scope of Round 3 is restricted to diagnostics that will rapidly identify a superbug causing an infection and determine the treatment that is most appropriate for the patient
- Direct-acting small molecule antibiotics: Funding Round 4 will open for Expressions of Interest November 12–November 19, 2019, 5PM ET. The scope of Round 4 is restricted to new classes of antibiotics and/or new targets for therapeutics
“CARB-X is funding and providing support to researchers worldwide to accelerate the development of life-saving products in the fight against superbugs. The scope of each funding cycle meets a critical and urgent need to address the rising global threat of drug-resistant bacteria,” says Kevin Outterson, executive director of CARB-X and professor at Boston University School of Law.
“Our goal is to select the best, most innovative projects that have the potential to prevent, diagnose and treat drug-resistant infections that are killing hundreds of thousands of people each year worldwide. We plan to grow the portfolio through these funding rounds and expand the number of different approaches to increase the chances of delivering urgently-needed medicines and diagnostics to patients.”
CARB-X focuses on high priority drug-resistant bacteria, primarily Gram-negatives, and supports projects in early development. For antibiotics, for example, CARB-X supports projects in phases from hit-to-lead through Phase 1. The goal is to support projects through early development phases so that they will attract additional private or public support for clinical development.
Past funding rounds have attracted more than 800 applications from around the world. CARB-X funding is restricted to projects that target drug-resistant bacteria highlighted on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s 2013 Antibiotic Resistant Threats list, or the Priority Bacterial Pathogens list published by the World Health Organization in 2017—with a priority on those pathogens deemed Serious or Urgent on the CDC list or Critical or High on the WHO list.
The CARB-X portfolio is the world’s largest antibacterial development portfolio with 29 projects in five countries, is expected to increase significantly this year. Since its inception in 2016, CARB-X has announced awards CARB-X has announced awards for 42 projects in seven countries exceeding $110 million, with the potential of an additional $106 million if project milestones are met, to accelerate the development of antibacterial products. These funds are in addition to investments made by the companies themselves. In addition to funding, CARB-X provides business and scientific support for projects through the CARB-X Global Accelerator Network, a network of 10 expert organizations around the world. The CARB-X pipeline will continuously evolve, as projects progress and others fail for a variety of reasons.
Highly specific scope and application period for each funding round
The scope for each 2019 round is highly specific. Applicants must be a legal entity to apply and, at the time of sub-award contract execution, be in a position to provide at least 20 per cent of the cost of developing the product through the period of performance of the contract, be a going concern or have a clear and viable strategy to achieve and maintain financial sustainability own, and must own/have secured rights to the IP and have a reasonable expectation of freedom to operate. Applications from academic centers/non-commercial developers are welcome with the requirement to be able to demonstrate capabilities similar to those expected of a drug development industry partner. Applicants are must adhere to the highest ethical research standards. Applications are reviewed by teams of experts. Final investment decisions are made by CARB-X’s governing board, comprised primarily of representatives of CARB-X funding partners.
There is an urgent need for new antibiotics and other products to address the rise of drug-resistant bacteria. According to the WHO, an estimated 700,000 people die each year worldwide from bacterial infections. In the United States, the CDC estimates 23,000 people die each year from drug-resistant bacterial infections. In Europe, the number of deaths yearly is estimated at 33,000, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
Partnership supporting antibacterial innovation globally
CARB-X is investing up to $550 million in antibacterial R&D between 2016 and 2021. CARB-X funding is provided by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the US Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR); the Wellcome Trust, a global charity based in the UK working to improve health globally; Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF); the UK Department of Health and Social Care’s Global Antimicrobial Resistance Innovation Fund (UK GAMRIF); the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; and with in-kind support from National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) within the US Department of Health and Human Services. CARB-X is headquartered at Boston University School of Law.
Funding Rounds Webinar: CARB-X is planning a webinar on May 16, 2019, to discuss the funding rounds, scope and application process, and answer questions. The time and registration link will be available in the coming days.
For complete details on the scope of the funding rounds and on how to apply, please visit https://carb-x.org/apply/