Australia’s leading national biotech incubator, CUREator by Brandon BioCatalyst, has announced the allocation of $3 million to propel five promising Life Sciences projects in its third round.

These projects are part of the Minimising Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) stream and target the growing threat of AMR. 

Professor Branwen Morgan, Lead of the Minimising Antimicrobial Resistance Mission at Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), emphasises the preventative nature of these projects.

Biomedtech recipients in this stream include research institutes and companies that are developing a nasal spray to prevent ear infections, building web-based platforms to support clinical decision pathways, and new therapeutic approaches to prolong the efficacy of antibiotics. 

Spritz-OM, a project from Telethon Kids Institute and The University of Western Australia, is developing a nasal spray that could potentially prevent childhood ear infections and reduce antibiotic use. They will receive $500,000 from the CSIRO-supported minimising AMR stream to manufacture their candidate for Phase 1 clinical trials upon the achievement of their milestones.

If successful, Spritz-OM’s candidate could become a therapy that reduces antibiotic dependence, preventing the severe ear infections that can lead to hearing loss.