Glox secures funds to tackle cystic fibrosis

Glox Therapeutics, a company built out of over 20 years of research at the universities of Glasgow and Oxford, has been awarded up to £500,000 to help tackle cystic fibrosis.

The spin-out has been awarded a share of the £3 million Collaborative Discovery Programme (CDP) launched by the Cystic Fibrosis Antimicrobial Resistance (CF AMR) Syndicate with funding from the medical research charity, LifeArc.

The allocation will allow Glox to accelerate the development of its novel precision antibiotics, helping to address the growing need for effective treatments to overcome antimicrobial-resistant lung infections in people with cystic fibrosis (CF).

Infections

More than 162,000 people are estimated to be living with CF globally. The thick mucus that lines the lungs of people with CF can be difficult to clear, often resulting in infections due to pathogens, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, becoming embedded.

• Dr James Clark, CEO and co-founder, Glox Therapeutics

 While antibiotic treatment is typical, bacteria may become resistant to antibiotics over time, leading to antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Glox Therapeutics’ proprietary protein bacteriocin engineering platform allows for the development of potent therapeutics that selectively eradicate drug-resistant pathogenic bacteria.

These novel antibiotics do so without damaging the human microbiome, offering efficacious therapies to treat infections associated with CF.

Dr James Clark, CEO and co-founder, Glox Therapeutics, said: “There is a critical need for new and effective therapeutics to tackle the rise of antimicrobial-resistant lung infections in people with CF.

“We are grateful to LifeArc for the CDP funding, recognising the potential of Glox Therapeutics’ unique platform to address this urgent unmet need.

“The collaborative support, disease insights and expert guidance of the CF AMR Syndicate will be incredibly valuable as we advance the development of our precision antibiotics to help improve the lives of patients.”

There is a critical need for new and effective therapeutics to tackle the rise of antimicrobial-resistant lung infections in people with CF 

Dr James Clark

The CDP is led by the CF AMR Syndicate, a cross-sector initiative driven by Medicines Discovery Catapult, LifeArc and Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

Founded in 2023, the company has globally recognised expertise in elucidating bacteriocin structure and function to treat bacterial infections.

It is uniquely positioned to address the AMR public health crisis which is predicted to surpass 10 million deaths globally per year at a cost of $100 trillion dollars by 2050.

The company is supported by a highly expert network of scientific advisers and has received investment and support from high-profile investors, the Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund and Scottish Enterprise, as well as grant funding from PACE.

• Title image: Glox Therapeutics Team LtoR Prof Daniel Walker Dr Khedidja Mosbahi and Dr Charles Begley