Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator (CARB-X) is awarding $1.75 million to the University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity to develop an oral therapeutic that restores the activity of common antibiotics used to treat community-acquired bacterial pneumonia (CABP).

Another company has entered the fray in the eternal battle between humans and bacteria. Day Zero Diagnostics Inc. aims to produce whole genome sequencing-based diagnostic technologies that quickly identify the species and antibiotic resistance profile of bacterial pathogens from a blood sample. In a vote of confidence that the company is on the right track, the global non-profit Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator (CARB-X) awarded Day Zero another $8.2 million. The latest funding pushes Day Zero’s awards from CARB-X over $16 million.