NIH awards $5 million in funding for therapeutic alternatives to antibiotics

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, in acknowledging the danger in antibiotic resistance, has awarded $5 million in funding for the development of nontraditional therapeutics for bacterial infections, according to a press release.

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), which is part of the NIH, is funding 24 research projects at 18 academic institutions and three industrial organizations for at least 2 years.

“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 the NIAID, said in the release. “New strategies are desperately needed to treat patients with antibiotic-resistant infections that often are deadly. 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.”

As detailed in the release, various nontraditional approaches will be investigated, including the utilization of viruses or good bacteria that target bacteria.

"Other examples of nontraditional approaches include adding decoy targets to prevent bacterial pathogens from producing disease, enhancing human immune responses to pathogens, and developing drugs that incapacitate the pathogen’s ability to adapt and compete," the release said.