Centauri Therapeutics Limited has announced that Carb-X (Combating antibiotic-resistant bacteria biopharmaceutical accelerator) has provided an additional $5.1m in funding for the development of their lead compound. The funds will contribute to the advancement of the lead candidate in Centauri’s ABX-01 programme into first in human clinical studies, and this latest funding brings Carb-X’s total support from 2019 to date to $12.3m.
Centauri announced the selection of its first clinical candidate in the ABX-01 programme in March 2025. The candidate is a broad-spectrum antimicrobial specifically selected to combat clinically prevalent and multidrug-resistant bacterial strains. Based on the company’s proprietary Alphamer platform, it is designed to target serious Gram-negative bacterial infections in the lung, expanding therapeutic options for the most vulnerable patients. It employs a dual mechanism of action, combining immunotherapeutic effects through complement fixation and phagocytosis with intrinsic antibacterial properties, within a single molecule. Early efficacy studies have demonstrated the compound’s activity against Gram-negative bacteria.
Carb-X’s funding for this project is provided in part with federal funds from the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response; Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority; under agreement number: 75A50122C00028, and by awards from Wellcome (WT224842), and Germany’s Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR).