"I am excited to see this project progressing towards pre-clinical development. This funding allows us to evaluate their potential as new effective interventions for people with CF, addressing a critical unmet need in treating CF lung infections. We are hopeful that these compounds will lead to new therapeutic options that improve patient outcomes and help combat antimicrobial resistance.”
Professor Miraz Rahman, Head of Drug Discovery at the Institute of Pharmaceutical Science
11 March 2025
Grant supports effective antibiotics for people with cystic fibrosis
King’s and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) have been awarded a joint grant to develop efflux-resistant antibiotics for treating lung infections in people with cystic fibrosis (CF).
The grant of £100,000, given through the Cystic Fibrosis Antimicrobial Resistance (CF AMR) Syndicate’s Collaborative Discovery Programme (CDP) and funded by the medical research charity LifeArc, supports early-stage research. It comes with the potential to apply for an additional grant to further the advancement of the project.
Bacterial efflux pumps are a major driver of antibiotic resistance, particularly in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a pathogen that causes chronic lung infections in people with CF. These protein structures in the bacterial cell membrane actively expel antibiotics, reducing the effectiveness of existing treatments. Efflux-resistant antibiotics are specifically designed to bypass or block these pumps, ensuring the drug remains inside the bacterial cell long enough to be effective.
To tackle this challenge, the research team used computational chemistry to design next-generation antibiotics capable of evading bacterial efflux mechanisms while maintaining strong antibacterial activity. Early-stage compounds have already demonstrated potent effects against drug-resistant bacteria, with low resistance potential and rapid bacterial killing. The project aims to refine these compounds for preclinical studies, paving the way for new treatment options for CF-related infections.
"Our current armoury of antibiotics is proving insufficient in tackling serious bacterial lung infections. Through this collaboration we will keep innovating to find new drugs and help patients most at risk of complications.”
Professor Mark Sutton, Scientific Leader at UKHSA
The CF AMR Syndicate is a cross-sector initiative that brings together leading experts in CF/AMR from industry, academia, and the clinic, as well as people with CF. The CDP is delivered by the Syndicate’s managing partners (Medicines Discovery Catapult, LifeArc and Cystic Fibrosis Trust) and offers a unique collaborative approach to drug discovery and development.
“Developing antibiotics that can outmanoeuvre resistance is one of the biggest challenges in cystic fibrosis care. By supporting the development of efflux-resistant compounds, we are investing in science that has the potential to deliver real clinical impact for people with CF. We look forward to seeing this work advance towards much-needed new treatment options.”
Dr Catherine Kettleborough, Head of Chronic Respiratory Infection Translational Challenge at LifeArc
This funding milestone represents a significant step forward in the fight against antimicrobial resistance and the development of targeted treatments for people with CF.
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Professor of Medicinal Chemistry