In a new bid to address the stagnant antibacterial development pipeline, the Gates Foundation, the Novo Nordisk Foundation and Wellcome have announced the launch of the Gram-Negative Antibiotic Discovery Innovator (Gr-ADI). Backed by $60m initial funding over the next three years, this first-of-its-kind global consortium aims to accelerate the discovery of treatments for the world’s most resistant pathogens.
Gr-ADI will support 18 high-impact projects across 17 countries, focusing specifically on the structural challenges posed by Gram-negative bacteria. Because their complex, double-layered cell membranes render many current clinical compounds ineffective, these pathogens are a leading driver of global antimicrobial resistance (AMR) mortality.
A new model for pharmaceutical collaboration
The stagnation of antimicrobial market success has historically stemmed from the high cost of R&D versus the low ROI for the pharmaceutical industry. Gr-ADI seeks to bridge this gap by mandating a collaborative “open science” framework where researchers openly share data, methodologies and AI discovery models. This approach is designed to reduce the high failure rates and immense costs that have historically driven private-sector investment away from the antimicrobial space.
“The AMR crisis demands fresh thinking and a different way of working,” explains Marianne Holm, Vice President of Infectious Diseases, Novo Nordisk Foundation. “The Gr-ADI consortium aims to cut through barriers to progress, bringing together researchers aligned by a commitment to share knowledge openly and make new data, methods and tools available to all.”
Addressing global equity and clinical need
With AMR causing millions of deaths annually and over $1tn in economic losses, the burden falls most heavily on low- and middle-income countries. Consequently, the consortium integrates expertise from teams in Ghana, South Africa and Brazil. Managed by RTI International, the project focuses on the earliest phases of drug creation, leveraging AI to identify novel chemical leads with unprecedented speed and precision.
“Gr-ADI is about accelerating discoveries that can translate into new antibiotics faster,” says Trevor Mundel, President of Global Health, Gates Foundation. “It ensures countries have the tools they need to protect their populations now and in the future.”
By de-risking early-stage discovery and providing a shared knowledge base, the consortium hopes to provide the global pharma sector with a robust portfolio of validated targets, eventually paving the way for the next generation of life-saving medicines.
