Glox Therapeutics Awarded Share of £3M Collaborative Discovery Programme Funding from Cystic Fibrosis Antimicrobial Resistance Syndicate

January 21, 2025 |

8 min read

£500K grant to advance discovery and development of effective precision antibiotics targeting antimicrobial-resistant lung infections in people with cystic fibrosis
Programme delivered by CF AMR Syndicate offers cross-sector collaboration and support to address urgent unmet need

GLASGOW, Scotland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--#AMR--Glox Therapeutics, a company pioneering the development of precision antibiotic therapies based on naturally occurring bacteriocins, today announced it has been awarded a share of the £3 million Collaborative Discovery Programme (CDP) launched by the Cystic Fibrosis Antimicrobial Resistance (CF AMR) Syndicate with funding from the medical research charity, LifeArc. Glox Therapeutics will receive up to £500,000 of the fund to accelerate the development of its novel precision antibiotics, helping to address the growing need for effective treatments to overcome antimicrobial-resistant lung infections in people with cystic fibrosis (CF).

Over 162,000+ people are estimated to be living with CF globally*. The thick mucus that lines the lungs of people with CF can be difficult to clear, often resulting in infections due to pathogens, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, becoming embedded. This typically requires antibiotic treatment; however, the bacteria may become resistant to antibiotics over time, leading to antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Glox Therapeutics’ proprietary protein bacteriocin engineering platform allows for the development of potent therapeutics that selectively eradicate drug-resistant pathogenic bacteria. These novel antibiotics do so without damaging the human microbiome, offering efficacious therapies to treat infections associated with CF.

The CDP is led by the CF AMR Syndicate, a cross-sector initiative driven by Medicines Discovery Catapult, LifeArc and Cystic Fibrosis Trust. The CF AMR Syndicate combines the expertise of leaders in CF and AMR from industry, academia and the clinic, with insights from people living with CF to accelerate CF antimicrobial drug discovery and development. This collaborative approach will allow Glox Therapeutics to benefit from expert support and resources to expedite the discovery and development of new and effective treatment options for people with CF lung infections.

Dr James Clark, CEO and Co-founder, Glox Therapeutics, said: “There is a critical need for new and effective therapeutics to tackle the rise of antimicrobial-resistant lung infections in people with CF. We are grateful to LifeArc for the CDP funding, recognising the potential of Glox Therapeutics’ unique platform to address this urgent unmet need. The collaborative support, disease insights and expert guidance of the CF AMR Syndicate will be incredibly valuable as we advance the development of our precision antibiotics to help improve the lives of patients.”

Dr Catherine Kettleborough, Head of Chronic Respiratory Infection Translational Challenge, LifeArc, said: “Collaboration is essential to unlocking new avenues in drug discovery, especially in areas like CF where AMR poses such significant challenges. Funding research through the CF AMR Syndicate will play a crucial role in catalysing scientific progress, and we’re thrilled to support Glox Therapeutics in their work.”

Dr Beverley Isherwood, Strategy Leader, Infectious Diseases, Medicines Discovery Catapult, said: “We are delighted to be working with innovative companies like Glox Therapeutics to accelerate vital research and find new treatments for people with CF. By supporting awardees through the early development phases to generate essential data packages, the CF AMR Syndicate’s CDP will position these projects to attract onward funding and investment for further development.”

Dr Paula Sommer, Head of Research and Partnerships, Cystic Fibrosis Trust, said: “For people with CF, lung infections can cause major disruptions to day-to-day life and may lead to permanent lung damage. These infections are hard to treat due to AMR, which is why we’re delighted to see the CF AMR Syndicate support these projects that will develop urgently needed new antimicrobial treatments for CF.”

For further information about Glox Therapeutics’ precision antibiotics, please visit: https://gloxtherapeutics.com/platform/

For details of the CF AMR Syndicate’s CDP, please visit: https://cfamr.org.uk/collaborative-discovery-programme/

*Worldwide rates of diagnosis and effective treatment for cystic fibrosis (J Cyst Fibros, 2022)

Notes to Editors

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About Glox Therapeutics www.gloxtherapeutics.com

Glox Therapeutics is developing a pipeline of engineered precision bacteriocins targeting pathogens that cause serious infections associated with high levels of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and mortality. These novel precision antibiotics have potent narrow-spectrum activity to target Gram-negative AMR pathogens without collateral damage to the wider human microbiome.

Founded in 2023, the company is built out of over 20 years of research at the Universities of Glasgow and Oxford from globally recognised expertise in elucidating bacteriocin structure and function to treat bacterial infections. It is uniquely positioned to address the AMR public health crisis which is predicted to surpass 10 million deaths globally per year at a cost of $100 trillion dollars by 2050.

The company is supported by a highly expert network of scientific advisers and has received investment and support from high-profile investors, the Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund and Scottish Enterprise, as well as grant funding from PACE.

Follow Glox Therapeutics on LinkedIn GLOX Therapeutics Ltd. and X (Twitter) @GloxThera

About CF AMR Syndicate www.cfamr.org.uk

The CF AMR Syndicate is a cross-sector initiative that brings together leading experts in CF and AMR from industry, academia and the clinic with people with CF. The Syndicate’s aim is to accelerate the translation of CF antimicrobials and diagnostics to the clinic and bring new and effective treatment options to people with CF. The Syndicate was established in 2019 and is jointly managed by Medicines Discovery Catapult, Cystic Fibrosis Trust and LifeArc.

About LifeArc

LifeArc is a self-funded, not-for-profit medical research charity. We take scientific ideas out of the lab and help turn them into medical breakthroughs that can be life-changing for patients. We have been doing this for more than 25 years and our work has resulted in five licensed medicines, including cancer drug pembrolizumab (Keytruda^®), lecanemab for Alzheimer’s (Leqembi), and Carbaplex (Bruker) for diagnosing antibiotic resistance.

Our teams are experts in drug and diagnostics discovery, technology transfer, and intellectual property. Our work is in translational science — bridging the gap between academic research and clinical development, providing funding, research and expert knowledge, all with a clear and unwavering commitment to having a positive impact on patient lives.

LifeArc is a company limited by guarantee (registered in England and Wales under no. 2698321) and a charity (registered in England and Wales under no. 1015243 and in Scotland under no. SC037861).

Find out more about our work on www.lifearc.org or follow us on LinkedIn or X.

About Cystic Fibrosis Trust

Cystic Fibrosis Trust is the charity uniting people to stop cystic fibrosis (CF). We fund vital research, improve care, speak out and race towards effective treatments for all.

Cystic Fibrosis Trust is here to make sure everyone with cystic fibrosis can live without limits. Since 1964, we’ve supported people with cystic fibrosis to live longer, healthier lives — and we won’t stop until everyone can live without limits imposed by CF. Through our research goals we will accelerate progress towards a future where everyone with CF can live a life unlimited. We will develop new and improved treatments for everyone, find better ways to diagnose and treat lung infections, treat all CF symptoms throughout the body and enable people with CF to live longer, healthier lives. These goals are informed by the research priorities of the CF community.

To achieve them we will fund world class research, build effective partnerships, provide internationally recognised infrastructure and harness high quality healthcare data. People with CF will be involved in contributing to and shaping all of these activities every step of the way. Find out more and get involved: www.cysticfibrosis.org.uk

About Medicines Discovery Catapult

Medicines Discovery Catapult (MDC) is a national Life Sciences service dedicated to turning drug discovery into commercial breakthroughs.

At the frontier of drug discovery, MDC works with entrepreneurial scientists to make every move count. It validates their ideas, de-risks investments, and feeds insights back into the sector to drive productivity and impact.

MDC creates momentum through its unique blend of discovery expertise, technology, insights, and sector-leading partnerships. Where there is unmet patient need, MDC stimulates innovation through its National Programmes.

MDC has helped over 300 companies raise more than £1.2bn of R&D investment.

Its approach to drug discovery drives game-changing breakthroughs and improves patients’ lives.

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