Prokaryotics Receives $2.3 Million SBIR Grant Supporting A Second Novel Antibiotic Program

Union, NJ – September 13, 2018 -- Prokaryotics, Inc., a privately-held biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery and development of novel anti-infective drugs, announced today that it has been awarded its second Small Business Innovation Research Grant (SBIR) valued at up to $2.3 million from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The two-year agreement will fund research by Prokaryotics on a natural product cell wall synthesis inhibitor targeting antimicrobial-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

For the first phase of the grant (1 R44 AI138688-01A1), up to $300,000 funding will be used to support initial natural product isolation and microbiological activity evaluation. Contingent on the success of these studies, second phase funds up to $2 million are additionally provided to support animal efficacy and pre-clinical studies.“We are delighted about receiving our second SBIR grant within the first year of starting Prokaryotics”, stated Terry Roemer, Ph.D., founder and chief scientific officer of Prokaryotics.

NIAID’s leadership in providing research funding is critical for the development of novel antibiotics for patients with infections caused by multi-drug resistant pathogens, including N. gonorrhoeae. The non-dilutive funding we are receiving from NIH is enabling us to pursue a pre-Series A seed stage financing for Prokaryotics that will allow us to advance all of our antibacterial programs prior to substantial financing.
-- Keith Bostian, Prokaryotics Acting CEO.

About Multi-Drug Resistant Infections
The relentless advance of antibiotic drug resistant bacteria has raised concerns whether within the next 2-3 decades we could be facing a ‘pre-antibiotic era’ where existing antibiotics will become largely ineffective in treating serious and life-threatening infections. Indeed, the World Health Organization has projected that the impact on human health and economic costs associated with antibiotic drug resistance will rival that of global warming. New classes of antibiotics with novel mechanisms of action are urgently needed to combat the growing threat of multi-drug resistant bacteria.

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