Innovations for Gram-Negative Antibiotic Discovery
In 2021, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) was associated with 4.7 million deaths, predominantly impacting low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), but the 2024 GRAM report projections indicate that development of novel antibiotics targeting Gram-negative bacteria would lead to a reduction in AMR burden. In response to this global health priority, the Novo Nordisk Foundation (NNF), Wellcome, and the Gates Foundation (GF) are jointly launching a new initiative, Gram-Negative Antibiotic Discovery Innovator (Gr-ADI), to drive innovation in early drug discovery for Gram-negative pathogens. Gr-ADI will function as a consortium, working collectively across multiple funders, research institutions, and industry partners. The consortium will be formed through this Grand Challenges request for proposals (RFP), with a focus on the discovery of direct-acting small molecule antibiotics with broad-spectrum activity against Enterobacteriaceae, using Klebsiella spp. as the pathogen to initiate a discovery program.
The Challenge
The ultimate objective of Gr-ADI will be to enable discovery of safe and simple first-line broad-spectrum drugs for syndromic management, through:
- Development of novel and emerging biological, chemical, and AI tools that could be applied broadly for antibiotic discovery to identify new antibiotic targets.
- Application of these innovative approaches to generate chemical starting points for project-based drug discovery.
- Fostering a collective mindset to address gaps in knowledge, solve problems, and manage a portfolio of targets and hits.
This Grand Challenges RFP will identify and select the first projects within the consortium. The focus of this RFP will be on the discovery of antibiotics with broad spectrum activity against Enterobacteriaceae, using Klebsiella spp. as the pathogen to initiate a discovery program. This provides a common focus point on Klebsiella spp. for all projects in the consortium and facilitates sharing of knowledge and data for mutual benefit. As such, proposals must have a primary focus on Klebsiella spp. but can also include investigation of other Enterobacteriaceae.
Proposals must address at least one of the following themes:
- Development of genome-scale tools or other innovative technologies to identify new chemical starting points linked to targets as well as assessment of potential drug target vulnerability, singly or in combination.
- Development of innovative technologies to select targets and chemical leads with a very high bar to resistance.
- Gaining a better understanding of the chemistry underlying penetration of compounds to different compartments of the bacterial cell to build a platform to rapidly test whether compounds reach and accumulate at their target.
- Development of novel and coordinated approaches to identifying new chemical leads for clinically or in vivovalidated drug targets, for which there is currently no agent in Phase 3.
Funding Level and Process
Projects with a duration of up to three years and a maximum requested budget of $5,000,000 USD are eligible for funding. Exploratory projects with shorter durations or lower budgets that focus on high-risk, innovative areas are strongly encouraged and will be given priority.
Calendario interno UCN
-11/02/2025: Apertura del concurso.
-28/02/2025: Difusión del concurso desde la VRIDT.
-14/03/2025: Fecha límite para informar a la Dirección de Investigación, sobre la participación en el concurso, completando el Formulario de Iniciativa de Proyectos (FIP) a través del sistema SIVRIDT.
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-18/03/2025: Fecha límite para enviar el Formulario de Autorización de Proyectos (FAP) a través del sistema SIVRIDT.
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-20/03/2025: Fecha límite para enviar los documentos de avances del proyecto a través del sistema SIVRIDT (Carta de recomendación que debe firmar el Director/la Directora de la Unidad, otro).
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-24/03/2025: Plazo máximo de la VRIDT, para solicitar mejoras o ajustes a los proyectos.
-25/03/2025: Plazo máximo para enviar su postulación a través de la plataforma del concurso.
-30/04/2025: Plazo máximo para respaldar (subir) los documentos postulados del concurso en el sistema SIVRIDT.
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Link Concurso: https://gcgh.grandchallenges.org/challenge/innovations-gram-negative-antibiotic-discovery
Correo de contacto: