CARB-X Global Antibacterial Accelerator

CARB-X supports the early-stage development of innovative antibacterial products (treatments, preventatives and diagnostics) with funding, scientific/drug development expertise, and portfolio management rigor. We replenish the clinical pipeline with promising R&D projects that, upon graduation from CARB-X, are well-positioned for advanced-development activities. The strategy, scope, and budget to guide CARB-X's investment priorities are approved annually by the Joint Oversight Board, of which Wellcome is a founding member. It includes R&D projects from the early translational stages through to a demonstration of safety, and in some cases efficacy, in humans. This strategy is refreshed on a regular basis with independent advice from a global pool of external experts, heavily weighted towards those with contemporary clinical experience. The great majority of the world’s preclinical antibacterial pipeline is in the hands of very small teams with insufficient drug development experience and limited resources. With 8 years of significant success, CARB-X is uniquely poised to identify the most promising R&D projects and provide what their teams lack (both funding and expertise), and to manage the resulting portfolio strategically to protect us all from drug-resistant infections.