Centauri Therapeutics, an immunotherapy company, announced today that CARB-X (Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator) has granted an additional $5.1 million to support the development of its lead compound. This funding will help advance the lead candidate in Centauri’s ABX-01 program into first-in-human clinical studies, bringing CARB-X’s total support to $12.3 million since 2019.
In March, Centauri selected its first clinical candidate in the ABX-01 program, a broad-spectrum antimicrobial designed to combat multidrug-resistant bacterial strains, particularly targeting serious Gram-negative infections in the lungs. This candidate utilizes the proprietary Alphamer platform, combining immunotherapeutic effects with intrinsic antibacterial properties. Early studies have shown its effectiveness against Gram-negative bacteria.
CARB-X’s funding is partially sourced from federal funds from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and supported by Wellcome and Germany’s Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space. The content of this press release solely reflects the authors’ perspectives and does not represent CARB-X or its funders’ official views.
KEY QUOTES:
“The unwavering scientific and financial support from CARB-X has provided stability to Centauri as a company, expanded understanding of our Alphamer platform, and enabled us to progress the ABX-01 program from discovery, through early development, and is now providing a smooth and continuous path towards First in Human clinical studies. We are thankful for CARB-X and their continued engagement and confidence, which has allowed us to move a step closer to delivering a much needed therapeutic for serious, drug-resistant Gram-negative infections, even in the most clinically vulnerable patients.”
Dr. Jennifer Schneider, Chief Executive Officer, Centauri Therapeutics
“We have been proud to support Centauri, beginning with answering key questions on the approach and continuing with the drug discovery that has led to the lead asset of ABX-01 and its progression towards building a dossier to support its advancement into first in human clinical trials.”
Dr. Erin Duffy, Chief of Research and Development, CARB-X
