Acenxion Biosystems Awarded $3 Million NIAID Grant

[Kansas City, KS] Acenxion Biosystems Inc. today announced that it was awarded a $3M SBIR Direct-to-Phase II grant by the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

The award accelerates Acenxion’s work to develop the first fully automated gonorrhea phenotypic antimicrobial sensitivity testing (AST) platform. The system will simultaneously meet the CDC’s guidance for surveillance and their recommendations for clinical treatment. The CDC has long considered gonorrhea as one of the top five threats and reaffirmed that position in its 2019 Antibiotic Resistance Threats in the United States publication.

“This is a significant step for our early-stage company,” said Dr. Roy Swiger, CEO. “The team has reall pulled together to deliver an exceptional technology that we highlighted in our grant proposal. The situation with antibiotic resistant gonorrhea is grave and Acenxion has a solution that can reset the playing field and turn the tables on this major public health issue,” he said.

Dr. Wayne Carter, a Director for Acenxion Biosystems added, “Receipt of this grant is affirmation by NIAID of the significant advancement the Acenxion Biosystem technology is for gonorrhea surveillance and can be used for antibiotic resistance threats across the US and world. Roy and his team have worked tirelessly to deliver this innovation, which will yield untold clinical benefits.”

In addition to the CDC’s 2019 report, the Interagency Coordination Group of Antimicrobial Resistance report to the UN Secretary-General, No Time to Wait: Security the Future From Drug-Resistant Infections detailed the millions of untreatable infections, resultant medical hardships, and death that occur each year and how this situation is becoming worse, making innovations like Acenxion’s extremely valuable.

Acenxion Biosystems (ACXBIO) is a privately funded company developing automated systems for bacteria detection in blood cultures and phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST). Seamlessly fitting into current clinical workflows, Acenxion’s scalable AST system reduces the time required for phenotypic testing to just 4-6 hours, allowing clinicians rapid use of a precise, targeted treatment. Acenxion’s technology improves patient outcomes, reduces healthcare costs, and reduces the spread of antibiotic resistance extending the service life of antibiotics.