$60 Million Global Consortium Launches to Accelerate Antibiotic Discovery Against Gram-Negative Bacteria
Key Insights
The Gates Foundation (search), Novo Nordisk Foundation (search), and Wellcome (search) have awarded $60 million over three years to establish the Gram-Negative Antibiotic Discovery Innovator (Gr-ADI) consortium targeting antimicrobial resistance (search).
Eighteen research projects across 17 countries will focus on novel antibiotic discovery approaches for Gram-negative bacteria (search), leveraging AI-enabled models to accelerate drug development.
The consortium represents the first investment from a $300 million global health partnership launched in 2024, addressing AMR's impact of millions of deaths annually and over $1 trillion in economic losses.
The Gates Foundation (search), Novo Nordisk Foundation (search), and Wellcome (search) have launched a groundbreaking $60 million initiative to combat antimicrobial resistance (search) (AMR) through the creation of the Gram-Negative Antibiotic Discovery Innovator (Gr-ADI) consortium. The three-year funding program will support 18 research projects across 17 countries, marking the first investment from the organizations' $300 million global health research and development partnership established in 2024.
The consortium represents a novel approach to antibiotic discovery, functioning as a collaborative platform where multiple funders and research teams openly share data and learnings to accelerate the development of urgently needed antibiotics (search) targeting Gram-negative bacteria (search), one of the leading drivers of AMR-related deaths worldwide.
Addressing a Critical Global Health Crisis
AMR has emerged as a dire global health crisis, making medical interventions less effective and resulting in millions of deaths each year alongside more than $1 trillion in economic losses globally. The high cost of bringing new products to market has created a situation where antibiotic science is not keeping pace with growing resistance, particularly for Gram-negative bacteria (search).
"Drug resistance is one of the greatest global health threats, particularly for those most vulnerable to infectious diseases (search)," said Alexander Pym, director of infectious disease at Wellcome (search). "We urgently need bold innovation and new tools to transform the way we discover antibiotics (search). The partnership between our three philanthropies offers a unique opportunity to join forces against the world's most urgent global health challenges."
Focus on Lower- and Middle-Income Countries
The initiative places particular emphasis on addressing the disproportionate impact of AMR on lower- and middle-income countries (LMICs), which bear the highest burden of infectious diseases (search). Research teams from Ghana, South Africa, and Brazil are among those selected to join the consortium, and all researchers will have access to technical experts from LMICs to advise and shape their work.
"AMR is undermining our ability to treat even routine infections, putting millions of lives at risk, especially in lower- and middle-income countries," said Trevor Mundel, president of global health at the Gates Foundation (search). "Gr-ADI is about accelerating discoveries that can translate into new antibiotics (search) faster, so countries have the tools they need to protect their populations now and in the future."
AI-Enabled Drug Discovery Approach
The selected projects will primarily focus on antibiotic discovery and drug creation, leveraging artificial intelligence-enabled models to make the discovery process faster and more efficient. More than 500 proposals from researchers across different geographies, career levels, and areas of expertise were submitted through the Grand Challenges program, an initiative that has fostered innovation to solve key global health and development problems for over 20 years.
Consortium Management and Expansion
RTI International, an independent scientific research institute, will manage the Gr-ADI consortium to align efforts, ensure effective coordination across projects, and maintain focus on the consortium's broader objectives. In addition to the newly funded grantees, four existing Gates Foundation (search) and Wellcome (search) grantees are joining the consortium, contributing significant drug discovery expertise and capabilities. The consortium is expected to expand over time to broaden the knowledge base and geographical representation.
"The AMR crisis demands fresh thinking and a different way of working," said Marianne Holm, vice president of infectious diseases (search) at the Novo Nordisk Foundation (search). "The Gr-ADI consortium aims to cut through barriers to progress, bringing together researchers aligned by a commitment to share knowledge openly and make new data, methods, and tools available to all. We hope their discoveries and data will benefit the whole field and bring us closer to urgently needed new antibiotics (search)."