Award to support the development of new class of lipoprotein transport inhibitors
(BOSTON: March 4, 2026) – CARB-X is awarding US$1.2 million to the Andrew G. Myers Research Group at the Harvard University Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology to develop enhanced antibiotics that target multi-drug-resistant Gram-negative bacterial pathogens, including Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, to treat urinary tract infections, pneumonia, and bloodstream infections.
The award supports the development of a new class of lipoprotein transport inhibitors unique among antibiotics targeting difficult-to-treat, Gram-negative pathogens due to the novelty and narrow spectrum of the antibacterial target. These compounds offer coverage against extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)–producing Enterobacterales and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE), with no cross-resistance to other antibiotic classes.
Enterobacterales, including common pathogens such as E. coli and K. pneumoniae, cause a wide range of infections, including urinary tract infections, bloodstream infections, and pneumonia. ESBL-producing strains contain enzymes that disable many commonly used beta-lactam antibiotics, including penicillins and third-generation cephalosporins, while CRE have developed resistance to carbapenems, which are often considered antibiotics of last resort. Infections caused by these highly resistant bacteria are associated with increased illness, mortality, and healthcare costs, and are recognized as a critical priority for new antibiotic development.
“Drug-resistant E. coli and K. pneumoniae cause a significant number of life-threatening infections worldwide, yet the pipeline for novel Gram-negative antibiotics remains dangerously thin,” said Richard Alm, Interim Chief of Research and Development at CARB-X. “This award supports a highly differentiated approach that, if successful, targets these priority pathogens with a narrow-spectrum mechanism designed to overcome resistance without contributing to broader cross-resistance. It exemplifies the kind of innovative science needed to rebuild the antibacterial pipeline and deliver meaningful impact for patients, particularly in regions most burdened by antimicrobial resistance.”
A recent analysis estimates that a regular release of new, potent antibiotics targeting Gram-negative bacteria could avert 11.1 million cumulative deaths caused by AMR in the coming 25 years, with the largest reductions in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs) in regions including South Asia, Southeast Asia, East Asia and Oceania, and sub-Saharan Africa.
“The award from CARB-X allows the Myers Research Group to further advance our work to discover antibiotics to treat infectious diseases emerging in hospitals and the community that are resistant to current therapies,” stated Andrew Myers, PhD, Amory Houghton Professor of Chemistry at Harvard University.
This is the second award the Myers Research Group has received from CARB-X. The Harvard Office of Technology Development has protected the research group’s innovations related to this technology.
CARB-X Supporting Solutions
When CARB-X was founded in 2016, the early-stage antibacterial pipeline was stalled. Since its inception, CARB-X has supported 123 R&D projects in 14 countries, and CARB-X product developers have made significant progress: 24 projects have advanced into or completed clinical trials; 14 remain active in late-stage clinical development; and 3 products have reached the market. Additionally, more than 10 product developers with active R&D projects have already secured advanced development partnerships to support their clinical development after leaving the CARB-X portfolio. All CARB-X-funded product developers are contractually obligated to develop a Stewardship and Access Plan for their product, outlining strategies to ensure responsible stewardship and appropriate access in low- and middle-income countries.
CARB-X is funded in part with federal funds from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response; Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) under agreement number 75A50122C00028 and by awards from Wellcome (WT224842), the UK Department of Health and Social Care’s Global Antimicrobial Resistance Innovation Fund (GAMRIF), the Gates Foundation, Germany’s Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR), the Novo Nordisk Foundation, Italy’s Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF), and Japan’s Ministry of Health. The U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in HHS, provides support in the form of in-kind services through access to a suite of preclinical services for product development. The content of this publication is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of any CARB-X funders.
CARB-X Contact: Marissa Novel, carbxpr@bu.edu
Harvard University Office of Technology Development Contact: Kirsten Mabry, Kirsten_Mabry@harvard.edu
About CARB-X
CARB-X (Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator) is a global non-profit partnership dedicated to supporting early-stage antibacterial research and development to address the rising threat of drug-resistant bacteria. CARB-X supports innovative therapeutics, preventatives and rapid diagnostics. CARB-X is led by Boston University and funded by a consortium of governments and foundations. CARB-X funds only projects that target the most serious, resistant bacteria identified on global priority lists, syndromes with the greatest global morbidity and mortality, and performance characteristics necessary for patients. https://carb-x.org/ | X (formerly Twitter) @CARB_X
About Harvard Office of Technology Development
The Harvard Office of Technology Development (OTD) promotes the public good by fostering innovation and translating inventions developed at Harvard University into useful products and solutions that benefit society. Our integrated approach to technology development comprises sponsored research and corporate alliances, intellectual property management, and technology commercialization through venture creation and licensing. More than 100 startups have launched over the past 5 years to commercialize Harvard technologies. To further bridge the academic-industry development gap, Harvard OTD manages the Blavatnik Biomedical Accelerator and jointly oversees the Harvard Grid and the Climate and Sustainability Translational Fund. For more information, visit https://otd.harvard.edu.
About BARDA and NIAID
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services works to enhance and protect the health and well-being of all Americans, providing for effective health and human services and fostering advances in medicine, public health, and social services. The Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response leads the nation’s medical and public health preparedness for, response to and recovery from disaster and other public health emergencies. Within ASPR, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) invests in innovation, advanced research and development, acquisition, and manufacturing of medical countermeasures needed to combat health security threats. BARDA is one of the leading public sector funders of advanced development of antimicrobial therapeutics and diagnostics worldwide, having invested more than $2.7 billion in antimicrobial products since 2010. This investment has supported the development of over 190 antimicrobial products and led to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of six new antibiotics and FDA 510(k) clearance of 10 diagnostics.
As part of HHS, NIH is the primary U.S. federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. NIAID conducts and supports research — at NIH, throughout the United States, and worldwide — to study the causes of infectious and immune-mediated diseases, and to develop better means of preventing, diagnosing and treating these illnesses.
About Wellcome
Wellcome supports science to solve the urgent health challenges facing everyone. We support discovery research into life, health and wellbeing, and we’re taking on three worldwide health challenges: mental health, infectious disease and climate and health.
About the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR)
Research and innovation are the foundations for our future. The promotion of science and research by BMFTR represents an important contribution to securing Germany’s prosperity. Research is a German Federal Government policy priority, which is reflected in the development of the funding it is making available to these fields.
About the Global AMR Innovation Fund (GAMRIF)
The Global AMR Innovation Fund (GAMRIF) is a One Health aid fund that supports research and development around the world to reduce the threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in humans, animals and the environment for the benefit of people in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). GAMRIF core objectives are to develop innovative One Health solutions to tackle AMR; increase availability of context-specific, accessible, and affordable innovations for LMICs; establish international research partnerships with industry, academia, and governments; and collaborate with and leverage additional funding from other global donors.
About the Novo Nordisk Foundation
Established in Denmark in 1924, the Novo Nordisk Foundation is an enterprise foundation with philanthropic objectives. The vision of the Foundation is to improve people’s health and the sustainability of society and the planet. The Foundation’s mission is to progress research and innovation in the prevention and treatment of cardiometabolic and infectious diseases as well as to advance knowledge and solutions to support a green transformation of society. www.novonordiskfonden.dk/en
About the Ministry of Economy and Finance of Italy
The Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) performs the functions and tasks incumbent on the State in matters of economic and financial policy, budgeting, public investment planning and public debt management. The Ministry’s activities include coordinating and monitoring public spending and its trends, tax policies and the tax system and state assets. Moreover, the Ministry represents the Italian Government in the main European and international economic and financial fora, performs functions related to global governance and international financial cooperation, maintains relations with international economic, monetary, and financial institutions (such as the IMF, OECD, and Multilateral Development Banks), and negotiates and concludes international agreements and treaties with economic and financial content.
About Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW)
MHLW is a ministry of the Government of Japan whose missions are to improve and promote social welfare, social security, and public health in order to secure and improve the livelihoods of the people and contribute to economic development. Recognizing the urgent global public health threat posed by AMR, MHLW has been supporting various domestic and international efforts to advance research and development of antimicrobials. MHLW has committed to providing contributions to CARB-X from 2024 to 2026.
About Boston University
Founded in 1839, Boston University is an internationally recognized institution of higher education and research. With nearly 37,000 students, it is one of the largest private residential universities in the United States. BU consists of 17 schools and colleges, along with the Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences and 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 leading research universities in the United States and Canada. For further information, please contact Kim Miragliuolo at kmira@bu.edu. www.bu.edu