Melinta Therapeutics, a New Haven, Connecticut-based biopharmaceutical company developing antibiotics, has partnered with CARB-X, a Boston, Massachusetts-based partnership organization focused on early-development antibacterial research and development, to support developing Melinta’s investigational pyrrolocytosine compounds.

Under the partnership, Melinta will receive an initial award of up to $2.3 million from CARB-X, with the possibility of $3.9 million in additional awards based on the achievement of certain project milestones.

Melinta’s pyrrolocytosine compounds are a class of antibiotics from the company’s ESKAPE Pathogen Program, a program based on Melinta’s proprietary drug-discovery platform for developing antibiotics for bacterial “superbugs” by targeting the bacterial ribosome. The pyrrolocytosines are being developed to improve properties that allow them to get in and stay in bacterial cells, according to information from the company.

CARB-X was launched in August 2016 to accelerate preclinical product development in the area of antibiotic-resistant infections. CARB-X was established by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the US Department of Health and Human Services, and the Wellcome Trust, a global charitable foundation for improving health.

Source: Melinta Therapeutics and CARB-X