News

Dr. Till Schäberle, Professor of Natural Product Research at the Institute of Insect Biotechnology at Justus Liebig University Giessen and the biotech company Infex Therapeutics have received over one million euros from the PACE (Pathways to Antimicrobial Clinical Efficacy) funding program to develop a novel BamA inhibitor against multi-resistant Gram-negative bacteria.

BamA inhibitors are intended to form a new class of drugs that are effective against resistant infections. The BamA protein was previously thought to be unassailable - but blocking it weakens bacteria so that they can be killed. The aim is to treat serious infections, in particular complicated urinary tract infections (cUTI).

Prof. Dr. Till Schäberle (JLU) is working with Infex to optimize manufacturing processes and further develop existing lead structures. The funding enables comprehensive tests and the selection of promising candidates for preclinical studies.

The BamA inhibitor is expected to be effective against critical Gram-negative WHO pathogens such as E. coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which are resistant to many antibiotics, including β-lactams.

LifeArc, Innovate UK and Medicines Discovery Catapult have joined forces in the PACE funding program to tackle the global threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The £30 million initiative focuses on early-stage antimicrobial drug and diagnostics projects, helping to accelerate innovative research.

The Institute of Biotechnology emerged, among other things, from the LOEWE research project on insect biotechnology from 2011 to 2013, whose research could be continued in the LOEWE Center for Insect Biotechnology and Bioresources (ZIB), which was founded as a result, from 2014 to 2022.