Scynexis Announces Federal Funding of Collaboration Between Hackensack Meridian CDI and Johns Hopkins Researchers to Develop New Therapeutics, Including Novel Fungerps, for Resistant Fungal Infections

Core Insights - SCYNEXIS, Inc. announced the funding of a novel series of antifungal compounds through a federal grant awarded to a new accelerator consortium, which aims to develop therapeutics for drug-resistant fungal infections [1][2] Group 1: Funding and Collaboration - A five-year federal grant will establish a Center of Excellence in Translational Research (CETR) with an expected annual funding of approximately $7 million, contingent on available funds from the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) [1][2] - The collaboration includes researchers from Hackensack Meridian Center for Discovery and Innovation and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, focusing on the development of next-generation antifungal candidates [2][5] Group 2: Antifungal Development - Triterpenoid antifungals (fungerps) represent a new class of glucan synthase inhibitors aimed at addressing antimicrobial resistance in systemic fungal diseases, with the first compound, Ibrexafungerp, already approved by the FDA [3][5] - SCY-247, a second-generation fungerp, is currently in Phase 1 development and has shown broad-spectrum antifungal activity against multidrug-resistant pathogens [3][5] Group 3: Company Overview - SCYNEXIS is focused on developing innovative medicines to combat difficult-to-treat infections, particularly those that are drug-resistant, utilizing its proprietary antifungal platform [5][6] - The company aims to enhance the pharmacological properties of its next-generation fungerp candidates to effectively treat infections where current therapies are limited [5]