Incubator funnels $3m to antimicrobial resistance

Five projects include web-based clinical decision support tools, a nasal spray that prevents ear infections and prolonging efficacy of antibiotics.

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Biotech incubator CUREator has announced that $3 million will be allocated to five early-stage biomedtech projects targeting antimicrobial resistance.

Antimicrobial resistance is a growing problem worldwide, fuelled by the misuse of medicines such as antibiotics.

In its third round of funding, the Brandon BioCatalyst-owned incubator will fund five AMR-based projects, include projects developing new a therapeutic approach to prolong antibiotic efficacy, web-based clinical decision support tools and a nasal spray that prevents ear infections.

CUREator provides grant funding in tranches based on project milestone and builds commercialisation skills among Australian innovators.

Professor Branwen Morgan, who leads CSIRO’s Minimising Antimicrobial Resistance Mission which is supporting the funding of these projects, applauded CUREator’s focus on prevention.

“As the challenge of antimicrobial resistance continues to grow, it’s crucial we invest in developing new technologies that can reduce the risk and likelihood of AMR emerging while also being commercially viable,” she said.

One of the technologies, Spritz-OM, is a Telethon Kids Institute and University of Western Australia collaboration developing a nasal spray designed to prevent childhood ear infection and reduce antibiotic overuse.

It will receive $500,000 from the CSIRO-backed, AMR arm of CUREator’s program, to manufacture the spray for Phase I clinical trials.

Inventor of Spritz-OM Associate Professor Lea-Ann Kirkham said the funding would “springboard” Spritz-OM to clinical trials. Successful trials could mean Spritz-OM becomes a therapy that reduces hearing loss and antibiotic dependence.

“Over 700 million children will suffer an ear infection this year, with one in four experiencing recurrent infections and requiring antibiotics,” said Professor Kirkham.

“For First Nations children, this figure rises to one in two children.”

Last week, CUREator was awarded $50 million from the Medical Research Future Fund to roll out a five-year dementia and cognitive incubator program alongside digital health commercialisation specialists ANDHealth.