SCYNEXIS, Inc. announced that its proprietary triterpenoid antifungal compounds are among five projects receiving federal funding through a new $35 million, five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). The grant establishes a Center of Excellence in Translational Research (CETR) jointly led by researchers from Hackensack Meridian Center for Discovery and Innovation (CDI) and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
The collaboration will receive approximately $7 million annually, contingent upon fund availability, to accelerate development of new therapeutics targeting resistant fungal infections. SCYNEXIS's next-generation fungerps are specifically designed with enhanced pharmacological properties to treat fungal infections where current therapies are limited or ineffective, while maintaining broad-spectrum activity against resistant fungal pathogens.
Addressing a Global Health Crisis
"With approximately four million annual deaths attributable to fungal infections globally, this new grant from the NIH provides essential funding to support the development of new therapeutics that can address the growing threat from resistant fungal infections," said David Angulo, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of SCYNEXIS.
The funding addresses a critical gap in antifungal therapeutics, as the triterpenoid class represents the first new class of antifungal compounds approved since 2001. These structurally-distinct glucan synthase inhibitors are being developed to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in systemic fungal diseases with high mortality rates.
Next-Generation Fungerp Development
Under the collaboration, SCYNEXIS aims to progress selected next-generation fungerp candidates from early preclinical stage to IND-ready status. The company has chosen fungerps with key attributes including activity against resistant fungi and differentiated pharmacological properties, addressing significant limitations of currently available antifungal treatments.
"For this collaboration we have selected a few fungerps with key attributes including activity against resistant fungi and differentiated pharmacological properties, critical for addressing significant limitations of currently available antifungal armamentarium," Angulo explained.
The next-generation compounds are currently in preclinical stages of development and are targeted to have enhanced pharmacological properties while maintaining the broad spectrum of activity that characterizes the fungerp class.
Established Platform Success
SCYNEXIS's triterpenoid antifungal platform has already demonstrated clinical success. Ibrexafungerp, the first representative of this novel class, has been licensed to GSK and received FDA approval as BREXAFEMME® (ibrexafungerp tablets) for treating vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) in 2021 and for reducing recurrent VVC incidence in 2022.
The company's pipeline includes SCY-247, a second-generation fungerp currently in Phase 1 development that has demonstrated broad-spectrum antifungal activity in vitro and in vivo, including against multidrug-resistant fungal pathogens. Additional antifungal assets from this class are in preclinical and discovery phases.
Research Collaboration Framework
The CETR brings together researchers from multiple institutions, with the CDI contributing over 34 laboratories and 200+ professional researchers and physician-scientists focused on infectious diseases, cancer, autoimmune disorders, and other acute and chronic diseases. The center harnesses advances in genetics, molecular biology, clinical immunology, imaging, and behavioral sciences to develop personalized medicine approaches.
Triterpenoid antifungals combine the established activity of glucan synthase inhibitors with the flexibility of both oral and intravenous formulations, potentially offering significant advantages in treating systemic fungal infections where current therapeutic options are limited.
