Novel BMX antibiotics for tough Gram-negative infections
Official title: Novel Biamyxins targeting multidrug resistant Gram-negative bacterial infections
Funded at State University of New York at Buffalo · NIH-11375081 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A new class of BMX antibiotics is being developed to fight hard-to-treat Gram-negative infections like Acinetobacter baumannii in patients.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | State University of New York at Buffalo NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Amherst, United States) |
| Project start | July 2, 2024 |
| Project end | June 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $780,258 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AI182297-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11375081 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates include patients with MDR Gram-negative infections or those at high risk for such infections, once BMXs advance to clinical testing.
✕Less likely to help
Early-stage preclinical work may not directly benefit patients until later trial phases.
What this research studies
This grant supports creating a new family of antibiotics called biamyxins that bind the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria to kill them. Researchers will study how BMXs behave in the body, including how they are absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and excreted. The work aims to show BMXs can overcome multidrug resistance and work against CRAB, CRE, and CRPA strains. The project is led by Yanan Zhao at SUNY Buffalo and will involve preclinical testing to move toward human studies.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, BMX antibiotics could provide effective options for treating MDR Gram-negative infections and reduce healthcare costs from HAIs.
How similar studies have gone: This approach targets well-known MDR pathogens; similar polycationic LPS-binding antibiotics have shown promise in preclinical models, but human data are limited.
Where this research is happening
-
State University of New York at Buffalo
Amherst, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Zhao, Yanan — State University of New York at Buffalo
- Study coordinator: Zhao, Yanan
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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.