Project to assess if blood-based host RNA signatures can diagnose infection in children
(BOSTON: December 4, 2025) – Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator (CARB-X) has awarded ProtonDx US$1M in seed funding to evaluate whether blood can be used as a suitable sample type for diagnosing pediatric lower-respiratory tract infections (LRTIs).
In this project, ProtonDx, in collaboration with Imperial College London, will evaluate RNA biomarkers of the body’s immune response to infection and translate them to gene-based assays that can be used to deliver rapid clinical decision making in emergency and remote care settings for the treatment of pediatric LRTIs.
The assays may be developed further as the foundation for blood-based pediatric LRTI testing on ProtonDx’s point-of-care molecular platform, called Lacewing, which combines high-purity nucleic acid extraction, real-time isothermal amplification (qLAMP), and lab-on-a-chip electrochemical sensors (eLAMP). ProtonDx has validated the technology for detection of infections with multiple pathogens, including SARS-CoV-2, dengue virus, and Klebsiella spp.
Diagnosing LRTIs can be complicated due to the difficulty of acquiring lower respiratory specimens (e.g. sputum) for diagnostic testing. Typically, more invasive sample collection methods are needed to obtain samples from the airways, such as bronchoscopy or deep suctioning. The ability to differentiate active bacterial infections from colonisation or viral infections, and identify pathogens from a simpler and less invasive sample type could improve patient outcome and reduce the transmission of infections.
“Rapid, reliable diagnostics are essential to ensuring that children with lower-respiratory tract infections receive the right treatment quickly, while also helping to reduce the misuse of antibiotics,” said Richard Alm, Interim Chief of R&D at CARB-X. “We look forward to evaluating whether ProtonDx’s blood-based approach has the potential to provide clinicians with actionable results at the point of care.”
“This CARB-X grant recognizes the urgent need for less-invasive sample types to facilitate accurate diagnosis in pediatric care. By combining our portable Lacewing technology with Imperial College London’s biomarker expertise, we aim to deliver a rapid, precise diagnostic assay from blood samples that can save lives, reduce unnecessary antibiotic use, and help combat antimicrobial resistance,” said Nick Moser, co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of ProtonDx.
LRTIs are a leading cause of illness and death worldwide, and pneumonia is the leading infectious cause of death in children under five, claiming the lives of over 700,000 children each year globally. Due to the lack of widespread rapid diagnostic testing for LRTI, broad-spectrum antibiotics are often prescribed prior to confirmation of infection and identification of the infectious agent. As such, the patient may not receive treatment tailored to their infection, and treatment in the absence of diagnosis can contribute to overuse of antibiotics and rising patterns of resistance to current antibiotic therapies.
In March 2024, CARB-X launched a new funding solicitation to fill major R&D gaps in the global antibacterial development pipeline. More than 300 initial applications were accepted in four distinct product themes: therapeutics for infections caused by Gram-negative pathogens, novel approaches to the prevention of invasive disease caused by Staphylococcus aureus or Escherichia coli, diagnostics for neonatal sepsis, and proof-of-concept for novel sample types for diagnosing lower-respiratory tract infections. Ten awards were announced from the first cycle of the 2024 funding round. Additional projects from the second cycle will be announced this year. CARB-X will begin accepting applications for the second cycle of the 2025 funding round from December 1 to December 12. Register for the CARB-X newsletter to receive updates.
When CARB-X was founded in 2016, the early-stage antibacterial pipeline was stalled. Since its inception, CARB-X has supported 120 R&D projects in 15 countries, and CARB-X product developers have made significant progress: 22 projects have advanced into or completed clinical trials; 14 remain active in clinical development, including late-stage clinical trials; 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 Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), 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
ProtonDx Contact: Rob Benson, Robert.b@weareelemental.uk
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 ProtonDx
ProtonDx is an Imperial College London spinout and a leader in innovative, portable molecular diagnostics for rapid, precise, multi-pathogen infectious disease testing at the point of need. Founded in 2020 by Dr Jesus Rodriguez Manzano, Prof Pantelis Georgiou, and Dr Nicolas Moser, the company builds on years of pioneering research in diagnostics and sample extraction through unique collaborations between engineering, medicine, and molecular biology researchers. ProtonDx develops transformative technologies that deliver fast, accurate, and clinically actionable results for infectious diseases. Its flagship Lacewing platform marks a new frontier in point-of-care molecular diagnostics. Learn more at www.protondx.com.
About Imperial College London
We are Imperial – a world-leading university for science, technology, engineering, medicine and business (STEMB), where scientific imagination leads to world-changing impact.
As a global top ten university in London, we use science to try to understand more of the universe and improve the lives of more people in it. Across our 10 campuses and throughout our Imperial Global network, our 22,000 students, 8,000 staff, and partners work together on scientific discovery, innovation and entrepreneurship. Their work navigates some of the world’s toughest challenges in global health, climate change, AI, business leadership and more.
Founded in 1907, Imperial’s future builds on a distinguished past, having pioneered the clinical use of penicillin, holography and fibre optics. Today, Imperial combines exceptional teaching, world-class facilities and a habit of interdisciplinary practice to unlock scientific imagination.
Within the Department of Infectious Disease, Dr. Myrsini Kaforou and Prof. Aubrey Cunnington have leading roles within Pediatric Infectious Disease team which pioneered host response diagnostics through several EU-funded studies. Dr. Jesus Rodriguez-Manzano and his research group lead development of novel diagnostic technologies by combining molecular biology with artificial intelligence.
About BARDA and NIAID
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) 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 (ASPR) 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 $2.4 billion in antimicrobial products since 2010. This investment has supported the development of over 160 antimicrobial products and led to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of four new antibiotics and FDA 510(k) clearance of eight 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 and Research (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 Public Health Agency of Canada
The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), established in 2004, is responsible for public health, emergency preparedness and response, and infectious and chronic disease control and prevention. Its mission is to improve the health of all people and communities in Canada by addressing public health priorities through science, innovation, service delivery, and collaborative action. The Agency collaborates closely with all levels of government, non-government organizations, and international partners to build an effective public health system. PHAC has a strong history of addressing health threats, including collaboration on a One Health approach to antimicrobial resistance (AMR). As part of the Pan-Canadian Action Plan on AMR 2023-2027, PHAC is developing an economic pull-incentive pilot project which aims to increase access to essential antimicrobial drugs not yet market-authorized in Canada to address priority unmet public health needs.
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 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