NIH funds 24 studies to develop therapeutic alternatives to antibiotics

The NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has awarded 24 grants, totaling approximately $5 million, to fund development of therapeutic alternatives to antibiotic treatments, according to a press release.

“The discovery, development and deployment of antibiotics have transformed medicine; however, microbes continually evolve and become resistant to these lifesaving drugs,” Anthony S. Fauci, MD, director of NIAID, said in the press release. “New strategies are desperately needed to treat patients with antibiotic-resistant infections that often are deadly.”

Anthony S. Fauci

According to the release, these studies will help in the fight against the growing threat of antibiotic resistance, a main objective of the National Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria.

The 24-phased innovation grants were awarded to 18 academic institutions and three private companies, including Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Emory University, Massachusetts General Hospital, the University of Sydney, the University of Texas Medical Branch and others. The awards provide 2 years of financial support for each research project, with the possibility of 3 additional years of funding for the most successful projects.

Various nontraditional treatments will be researched, including therapeutic bacteria, which uses “good” bacteria to target harmful bacteria; and bacteriophage or phage therapy, which uses bacteria-killing viruses to eliminate harmful bacteria. Other treatments include eliminating the bacteria’s ability to resist or adapt, introducing decoy targets to prevent bacteria from producing diseases and the enhancement of human immune responses, according to the release.

“These new NIAID grants will provide funding to researchers developing unique, nontraditional therapies that could complement or even replace currently available antibiotics that are losing effectiveness,” Fauci said.