(BOSTON: May 10, 2018) – CARB-X is awarding Talis Biomedical Corporation of Menlo Park, CA, up to $4.4 million, with the possibility of up to $4.2 million more based on achievement of project milestones, to support the development of the company’s molecular diagnostic system which would speed diagnosis and appropriate treatment of chlamydia and gonorrhea, including drug-resistant infections.
“Talis Biomedical’s project could potentially speed and improve the way drug-resistant gonorrhea is diagnosed and treated. Drug-resistant gonorrhea represents a major public health problem worldwide, affecting millions of people who are often co-infected with chlamydia,” said Kevin Outterson, Executive Director of CARB-X. “The world urgently needs new diagnostics, antibiotics and other products to protect us from drug-resistant bacteria. The projects in the Powered by CARB-X portfolio are in the early stages of development, but if successful, they offer great potential in the fight against drug-resistant bacteria.”
“The support of CARB-X offers Talis an extraordinary opportunity to bring rapid pathogen identification and phenotypic anti-microbial susceptibility testing to the point-of-care,” said Brian Coe, Chief Executive Officer of Talis. “In addition to identification and susceptibility testing for chlamydia and gonorrhea, our intent is to build on this research to deliver a broad menu of testing capability to care providers around the world.”
Rapid diagnostics essential to winning the fight against superbugs
Talis’ high-performance, low-cost molecular pathogen identification (ID) system would diagnose chlamydia and gonorrhea from a patient sample in less than 20 minutes. If the diagnosis is positive, the patient would then be tested for antibiotic susceptibility, providing information with 30 minutes about which antibiotics would be most effective to treat gonorrhea. This capability would speed the delivery of appropriate treatment, minimizing unnecessary antibiotic use, and also reduce the epidemiological risk of spreading these diseases.
Chlamydia and gonorrhoea are on the rise and are becoming more difficult to treat. Strains of multidrug-resistant gonorrhoea, often called ‘superbug gonorrhea’, have been detected in a number of countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that each year, 131 million people are infected with chlamydia, and 78 million with gonorrhoea. In the United States, the number of gonorrhea infections has risen over the past few years, from 335,000 cases diagnosed in 2012, to nearly 469,000 in 2016, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). When left untreated, these infections can result in serious complications and health problems for women, such as pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy, and miscarriage, and untreated gonorrhoea and chlamydia can cause infertility in both men and women.
Expanding portfolio
The Talis project is the 5th diagnostic in the Powered by CARB-X portfolio. The CARB-X portfolio is the world’s largest and most scientifically diverse portfolio of early development antibacterial projects with 33 projects including antibiotics, diagnostics and other innovative products to respond to the threat of drug-resistant bacteria. CARB-X, which stands for Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator, funds projects in 7 countries and is working to expand its pipeline with the best science from around the world.
Since it was established in 2016, CARB-X has announced awards totaling $86.5 million, plus an additional $115.6 million if project milestones are met, to accelerate the development of antibiotics, diagnostics and other products. These funds are in addition to investments made by the companies themselves.
According to the WHO, an estimated 700,000 people die each year worldwide from bacterial infections. According to the CDC, in the US alone, an estimated 23,000 people die each year from drug-resistant bacterial infections.
CARB-X is a partnership between the UK charity Wellcome Trust, the US Department of Health and Human Services Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
CARB-X is one of the world’s largest public-private partnership devoted to early development antibacterial R&D. Funded by ASPR/BARDA and Wellcome Trust, with in-kind support from NIAID, CARB-X is investing up to $455 million from 2016-2021 to support innovative therapeutics, vaccines, rapid diagnostics and devices to treat drug-resistant bacterial infections. CARB-X focuses on high priority drug-resistant bacteria, especially Gram-negatives. CARB-X operates through Boston University. Other partners include RTI International, the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, MassBio, and the California Life Sciences Institute (CLSI). http://www.carb-x.org/.
Melinta Therapeutics, Inc. is the largest pure-play antibiotics company, dedicated to saving lives threatened by the global public health crisis of bacterial infections through the development and commercialization of novel antibiotics that provide new therapeutic solutions. Its four marketed products include Baxdela® (delafloxacin), Vabomere™ (meropenem and vaborbactam), Orbactiv® (oritavancin), and Minocin® (minocycline) for Injection. It also has an extensive pipeline of preclinical and clinical-stage products representing many important classes of antibiotics, each targeted at a different segment of the anti-infective market. Together, this portfolio provides Melinta with the unique ability to provide providers and patients with a range of solutions that can meet the tremendous need for novel antibiotics treating serious infections. Visit www.melinta.comfor more information.
Wellcome exists to improve health for everyone by helping great ideas to thrive. We’re a global charitable foundation, both politically and financially independent. We support scientists and researchers, take on big problems, fuel imaginations and spark debate. The Wellcome Trust is a charity registered in England and Wales, no. 210183. Its sole trustee is The Wellcome Trust Limited, a company registered in England and Wales, no. 2711000 (whose registered office is at 215 Euston Road, London NW1 2BE, UK)
HHS is the principal federal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services, especially for those who are least able to help themselves.
Founded in 1839, Boston University is an internationally recognized institution of higher education and research. With more than 33,000 students, it is the fourth-largest independent university in the United States. BU consists of 17 schools and colleges, along with a number of multi-disciplinary centers and institutes integral to the University’s research and teaching mission. In 2012, BU joined the Association of American Universities (AAU), a consortium of 62 leading research universities in the United States and Canada. For further information, please visit www.bu.edu, or contact Suzanne Otte at otte@bu.edu.
Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard was launched in 2004 to empower this generation of creative scientists to transform medicine. The Broad Institute seeks to describe all the molecular components of life and their connections; discover the molecular basis of major human diseases; develop effective new approaches to diagnostics and therapeutics; and disseminate discoveries, tools, methods, and data openly to the entire scientific community. Founded by MIT, Harvard, Harvard-affiliated hospitals, and the visionary Los Angeles philanthropists Eli and Edythe L. Broad, the Broad Institute includes faculty, professional staff, and students from throughout the MIT and Harvard biomedical research communities and beyond, with collaborations spanning over a hundred private and public institutions in more than 40 countries worldwide. For further information about the Broad Institute, http://www.broadinstitute.org. In support of CARB-X, the Broad Institute created the Collaborative Hub for Early Antibiotic Discovery (CHEAD), which serves an interdisciplinary center that partners with academic investigators engaged in antibiotic development and/or resistance research to accelerate their early-stage, small molecule therapeutics toward Investigational New Drug (IND) application.
MassBio is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1985 that represents and provides services and support for the world’s leading life sciences supercluster. MassBio is committed to advancing Massachusetts’ leadership in the life sciences to grow the industry, add value to the healthcare system and improve patient lives. Representing 1000+ biotechnology companies, academic institutions, disease foundations and other organizations involved in life sciences and healthcare, MassBio leverages its unparalleled network of innovative companies and industry thought leaders to advance policy and promote education, while providing member programs, events, industry information, and services. Learn more at MassBio
The mission of the California Life Sciences Institute (CLSI) is to maintain California’s leadership in life sciences innovation through support of entrepreneurship, education and career development. Located in the birthplace of biotechnology, CLSI strives to ensure that the economic and intellectual power of the region’s life sciences industry and its employees remains strong. By maintaining its focus on entrepreneurship, education and career development programs, CLSI supports the foundations of innovation that have made California home to the world’s most prominent life sciences ecosystem. As a non-profit 501(c)(3), CLSI’s objectives are met through collaborations, partnerships, and the generosity of individuals, sponsors and foundations. CLSI is a member of the CARB-X consortium, serving as an accelerator. Learn more at http://califesciencesinstitute.org.
RTI International is an independent, nonprofit research institute dedicated to improving the human condition. Clients rely on us to answer questions that demand an objective and multidisciplinary approach – one that integrates expertise across the social and laboratory sciences, engineering, and international development. We believe in the promise of science, and we are inspired every day to deliver on that promise for the good of people, communities, and businesses around the world. For more information, visit www.rti.org.