The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is investing up to $5 million in Clarametyx Biosciences to develop CMTX-101, a drug that could help address difficult-to-treat bacteria such as chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a major cause of lung infections in people with cystic fibrosis.
Chronic infections and drug-resistant bacteria remain key challenges for people with CF, even for those who take CFTR modulators. Bacteria can become resistant to treatment by forming protective structures called biofilms, which shield bacteria from both the immune system and antibiotics. A large majority of chronic infections involve bacteria that have formed biofilms, making them an important target for new anti-infective therapies.
CMTX-101 specifically targets biofilms, potentially leaving bacteria more susceptible to antibiotics and the body’s own immune response. This approach could also help reduce the inflammation that results from chronic infections in CF. In lab tests, CMTX-101 was able to disrupt biofilms across many species of bacteria, including key CF pathogens such as Pseudomonas, Burkholderia cepacia, and nontuberculous mycobacteria. The CF Foundation’s investment will support a Phase 1b/2a clinical trial of CMTX-101 (in combination with inhaled Tobramycin) in people with CF with Pseudomonas infections. If successful, future trials could expand to other bacterial infections.
“We hope that this potential therapy will ultimately help people with CF clear many different types of difficult-to-treat infections,” said JP Clancy, MD, senior vice president of clinical research at the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. “This could provide a crucial new tool that could be used alongside traditional antibiotics in the fight against antimicrobial resistance.”
The investment in Clarametyx is part of the CF Foundation’s focus on developing new therapies for hard-to-treat infections. In addition to funding innovative research to develop new anti-infective therapies, the CF Foundation advocates for policy solutions that foster a robust pipeline of antibiotic development.