Prokaryotics Receives SBIR Phase IIB Award Supporting Preclinical Candidate Selection for β-lactam Potentiator Program

Union, NJ – July 8, 2022 -- Prokaryotics, Inc., a privately held biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery and development of novel antibiotics, announced today that it has been awarded an SBIR Phase IIB grant (2R44 AI136213-04) valued at up to $2,972,000 from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The three-year agreement will fund research by Prokaryotics in collaboration with the University of Florida (UF) Institute for Therapeutic Innovation to select a preclinical candidate (PCC) potentiator effective in restoring efficacy of orally bioavailable β-lactam antibiotics against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The proposed fixed-dose combination agent would provide the first alternative to standard-of-care oxazolidinone-based antibiotics, thereby offering a safe and bactericidal treatment option to accelerate out of hospital step-down therapy, reducing overall health care costs, and improving treatment of life-threatening MRSA infections.

β-lactam antibiotics remain the safest and most effective class of antibiotics which support modern medicine. However, their efficacy against MRSA has been largely eroded over time. The opportunity to restore the efficacy of orally administered antibiotics of this class would reverse nearly 60 years of β-lactam resistance developed by MRSA. Our advancement of this program from its conception to the point of selecting and prosecuting a PCC suitable for eventual new drug approval by the FDA is a testament to the dedication of the entire Prokaryotics team. We are also extremely grateful to NIAID and the NIH for their continued support for this program as well as the opportunity to leverage the expertise of our UF colleagues in advancing this much needed therapeutic.
-- Dr. Terry Roemer, Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Prokaryotics, Inc.

The Institute for Therapeutic Innovation is in the College of Medicine at the University of Florida. Its mission is to employ cutting edge mathematical modeling and state-of-the-art in vitro and in vivo models of infection to rapidly identify optimal doses and schedules of therapeutic agents in multiple areas of Infectious Diseases. We look forward to partnering with our friends and colleagues at Prokaryotics to rapidly advance their exciting platform.
-- George L. Drusano, M.D., Professor of Medicine, Director of the Institute for Therapeutic Innovation at the University of Florida.

About Prokaryotics, Inc.
Prokaryotics, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of novel antibiotic classes that target serious multi-drug resistant bacterial infections. Prokaryotics leverages a deep knowledge of bacterial physiology, innovative screening strategies, and scientific excellence necessary to discover and develop new classes of antibiotics targeting outer membrane biogenesis – the fundamental armor erected by bacteria to naturally withstand the effects of antibiotics.

Media Contact:
Holly Sutterlin
908 737-1922 x124
hsutterlin@prokaryotics.com