Lead bacteriophage therapy for tough Klebsiella infections
Official title: Optimization, Manufacturing and Testing of a Lead Therapeutic Bacteriophage Cocktail for the Treatment of Antibiotic-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae Infections
Funded at J. Craig Venter Institute, INC. · NIH-11384373 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are refining a five-phage mix to treat antibiotic-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae infections and prepare it for a first-in-human trial.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | J. Craig Venter Institute, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Diego, United States) |
| Project start | July 21, 2023 |
| Project end | June 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $1,785,026 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AI176546-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11384373 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients with wound or pulmonary Klebsiella pneumoniae infections, including those with limited antibiotic options, could be candidates for future trials.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with infections caused by pathogens other than Klebsiella pneumoniae are unlikely to benefit from this specific therapy.
What this research studies
This grant supports optimizing a bacteriophage cocktail that targets Klebsiella pneumoniae and scales up its production. It includes pre-IND testing, benchmarking, and regulatory preparation to enable an initial clinical trial. The work brings together JCVI, WRAIR, and Adaptive Phage Therapeutics to leverage genomics, animal models, and manufacturing know-how. The goal is to move from a lab candidate to a therapy that could be tested in people with wound or lung infections caused by resistant bacteria.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the lead phage therapy could become a new option for treating antibiotic-resistant Klebsiella infections in patients.
How similar studies have gone: Phage therapies have shown promise in some clinical and preclinical settings, but this exact multi-phage lead and IND-enabling work is advancing toward a first-in-human trial.
Where this research is happening
-
J. Craig Venter Institute, INC.
San Diego, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Fouts, Derrick E — J. Craig Venter Institute, INC.
- Study coordinator: Fouts, Derrick E
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.