Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd (SIX: BSLN), a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Allschwil, Switzerland, has received an additional USD 6 million in non-dilutive funding from CARB-X (Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator) to support the Phase I clinical development of its antibiotic candidate BAL2420, an LptA inhibitor targeting drug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria.
The award follows the completion of IND-enabling studies and clinical study authorization. CARB-X, a global non-profit partnership led by Boston University and backed by a consortium of government bodies and foundations — including the US Department of Health and Human Services, Wellcome, the Gates Foundation, the Novo Nordisk Foundation, and the European Commission's DG HERA — has supported BAL2420 since 2020, funding its progression from hit-to-lead through to the current first-in-human study. The first subject was dosed in March 2026. Basilea said the funding will support the Phase I trial and related activities.
BAL2420 represents a novel antibiotic class in active clinical development. It targets LptA, a protein that forms part of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) transport bridge — an essential structure in Gram-negative bacteria responsible for shuttling LPS molecules to the outer membrane. Because LptA is indispensable for bacterial survival, has no human equivalent, and is not targeted by any existing antibiotic class, it represents a mechanism not targeted by existing antibiotic classes, potentially reducing cross-resistance with current agents. In preclinical studies, LptA inhibitors demonstrated bactericidal activity against Enterobacterales, including strains of E. coli and K. pneumoniae resistant to beta-lactams and colistin, the latter considered a last-resort therapy. Both the CDC and WHO have designated carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteralesas high-priority pathogens requiring new treatment options.
The scientific basis for BAL2420's peptidomimetic approach was described in a 2023 paper in Science Advances (Schuster, Brabet, Oi et al.), which demonstrated that peptidomimetic compounds can disrupt the LPS transport bridge in drug-resistant Enterobacterales with potent bactericidal activity in vitro and in vivo.