CARB-X funds Lytica Therapeutics to develop antibacterial peptides to treat drug-resistant infections in the lungs and other parts of the body

CARB-X is awarding Lytica Therapeutics, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, up to US$5.3 million in non-dilutive funding to develop antibacterial peptides with broad activity against multidrug-resistant bacteria.  The company could receive up to $11.6 million in additional funding if the project achieves certain development milestones, for a potential total of $16.9 million.

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are a natural family of peptides with therapeutic potential in the fight against multidrug-resistant bacterial infections. Their clinical use is currently limited mostly to topical applications, due to issues related to toxicity, stability, and efficacy. Lytica’s proprietary stapling technology aims to overcome these hurdles. The company has produced lead compounds, called Stapled Antimicrobial Peptides (StAMPs), which display potent activity against multidrug-resistant bacteria, stability against enzymatic degradation, and wide therapeutic potential. If successful, the project could produce treatments for a wide range of serious infections including lung, urinary tract, and intra-abdominal infections, and be administered in a number of different modes of delivery including IV infusion and inhalation. The project is currently in the hit-to-lead phase of development.