Synergistic adjuvant with a novel antibiotic to treat Acinetobacter baumannii infections
Official title: Development of a mechanistically novel synergistic adjuvant to partner with polymyxin antibiotics
Funded at Prokaryotics, INC. · NIH-11324671 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A new combination approach aims to use a polymyxin helper with a novel antibiotic to fight hard-to-treat Acinetobacter infections in patients.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Sbir 2 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Prokaryotics, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Union, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2022 |
| Project end | September 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $977,454 |
| NIH project number | 5R44AI165008-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11324671 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are patients with severe Acinetobacter baumannii infections, including MDR/CRAB cases, affected by hospital-acquired pneumonia, bloodstream, wound, or urinary tract infections.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with non-Acinetobacter infections or those without multidrug resistance may not benefit from this specific research.
What this research studies
This grant focuses on finding a safe, effective combo where a mediator boosts the power of a new antibiotic called medinamycin against deadly Acinetobacter baumannii infections. Researchers will test semisynthetic MedM variants with polymyxin B to see if they work well together and overcome resistance. The work includes improving the production and chemical handling of MedM to enable animal or early human studies in the future. If successful, this could lead to lower doses of toxic antibiotics and better outcomes for patients with MDR CRAB infections.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could benefit from a more effective combination therapy that uses lower doses of toxic antibiotics and treats resistant Acinetobacter infections more effectively.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work has shown that combining polymyxins with novel antibiotics can enhance killing of resistant bacteria, but this exact MedM+PMB approach is still under early investigation.
Where this research is happening
-
Prokaryotics, INC.
Union, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Roemer, Terry — Prokaryotics, INC.
- Study coordinator: Roemer, Terry
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.