In a significant move to combat the growing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) crisis, Phare Bio has secured $27 million in funding from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). The biotechnology company, working in collaboration with MIT's Collins Lab and Harvard's Wyss Institute, will utilize these funds to enhance its artificial intelligence-powered drug discovery platform focused on developing novel classes of antibiotics.
Advancing AI-Driven Antibiotic Discovery
The funding comes at a crucial time when antimicrobial resistance poses an escalating threat to global public health. Phare Bio's recent breakthrough in generative AI-based antibiotic design, achieved in partnership with Collins Lab, represents a significant advancement in the precise development of customized antibiotics.
Dr. Akhila Kosaraju, CEO and president of Phare Bio, emphasized the urgency of their mission: "The AMR crisis is accelerating, but with this collaboration with ARPA-H, another door is opening. These funds allow Phare Bio to add unprecedented clinical precision to our generative AI discovery platform and develop the novel and specific antibiotics that patients and physicians so vitally need."
Expanding Research Infrastructure
The grant will support several key initiatives aimed at revolutionizing antibiotic discovery:
- Generation of millions of new training data points covering critical drug development parameters, including toxicology and drug metabolism
- Development of the first open-source database dedicated to AI-based antibiotic discovery
- Implementation of ten new "filters" in the company's generative AI drug discovery engine
- Advancement of 15 new AI-generated antibiotic candidates to preclinical stages
Targeted Therapeutic Development
The enhanced platform will focus on developing targeted antibiotics for specific bacterial infections, including:
- Bacterial pneumonia
- Drug-resistant urinary tract infections
- Sepsis
By incorporating new specialized filters into their AI engine, Phare Bio aims to improve the precision and efficacy of antibiotic development for these specific conditions.
Collaborative Impact
The creation of an open-source database marks a significant step toward fostering collaboration within the scientific community. By sharing expertly curated datasets, Phare Bio and Collins Lab aim to accelerate research efforts across the field, empowering the next generation of antibiotics researchers to build upon their foundational work.
