Grant marks the company's third NIH SBIR award in just over two years and supports development of a narrow-spectrum investigational therapy targeting hypervirulent C. difficile strains.
MIAMI, Aug. 17, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- TAXIS Pharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage company at the forefront of developing investigational therapies to treat multidrug-resistant bacterial infections and combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR), announced today that it has received a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), one of the institutes of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The grant is valued at approximately $562,037, with the potential for up to $3 million in additional Phase II funding upon successful achievement of program milestones.
The grant will support the development of TAXIS Pharmaceuticals' investigational 3-alkoxy benzamide class of narrow-spectrum FtsZ inhibitors designed to combat Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile), including toxigenic and hypervirulent strains associated with severe disease and high recurrence rates. The award represents the company's third NIH SBIR grant in 27 months and will support continued advancement of its investigational FtsZ inhibitor program, which targets one of the most significant unmet needs in infectious disease.
"This NIH award further validates our scientific approach and strengthens our efforts to develop innovative therapies for some of the most challenging bacterial infections facing patients today," says Gregory G. Mario, MBA, President and CEO of TAXIS Pharmaceuticals. "Receiving our third NIH SBIR grant in just over two years reflects both the quality of our science and the urgent need for new therapeutic options to address antimicrobial resistance and serious infectious diseases."
C. difficile infection (CDI) is responsible for an estimated 500,000 illnesses and 30,000 deaths in the United States each year.(1) Hypervirulent strains have contributed to increasingly severe disease, while recurrence remains a major concern for patients and healthcare providers. Current frontline therapies, including metronidazole, vancomycin, and fidaxomicin, are broad-spectrum antibiotics that can disrupt the gut microbiome, potentially creating conditions that allow C. difficile to re-establish and contribute to recurrent infection.(2)
TAXIS Pharmaceuticals' investigational FtsZ inhibitors are designed to selectively target toxigenic and hypervirulent C. difficile strains while preserving beneficial gut bacteria. FtsZ, an essential bacterial cell division protein not found in human cells, represents an attractive target for antibiotic development. The company's proprietary 3-alkoxy benzamide scaffold has demonstrated potent activity against hypervirulent and drug-resistant C. difficile strains in preclinical studies.
By preserving the integrity of the gut microbiome, TAXIS' investigational approach aims to address one of the key challenges associated with CDI treatment: recurrence. The company believes this differentiated strategy may offer an important advancement over existing broad-spectrum therapies.
"Our investigational FtsZ inhibitor program represents a novel approach to treating C. difficile infections by selectively targeting pathogenic strains while preserving the beneficial bacteria that support a healthy gut microbiome," says Ajit Parhi, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer of TAXIS Pharmaceuticals and Principal Investigator on the project. "This NIH grant will allow us to advance critical preclinical development activities and further evaluate the potential of this program."
In May of 2025, TAXIS received a $2.9 million NIH grant to advance development of its dihydrofolate reductase inhibitors (DHFRIs) for multidrug-resistant gonorrhea. In May of 2024, TAXIS received a $2.67 million NIH grant to support development of its investigational efflux pump inhibitors (EPIs) designed to restore the effectiveness of existing antibiotics against resistant bacterial infections. Together with its FtsZ inhibitor platform, these programs reflect TAXIS' broader mission to develop innovative solutions to address the escalating global burden of antimicrobial resistance.
Research mentioned in this press release was supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health Under Award Number 1R43AI197297-01. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the views of the National Institutes of Health.
About TAXIS Pharmaceuticals
TAXIS Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage company developing new classes of anti-resistance therapies to treat life-threatening, multidrug-resistant bacterial infections. Our investigational drug candidates—including efflux pump inhibitors, dihydrofolate reductase inhibitors, and FtsZ inhibitors—aim to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR). TAXIS' investigational therapies currently target several different bacterial pathogens, many of which are on the World Health Organization Priority Pathogen List. Our mission is to reduce and potentially eliminate the threat of current and emergent antimicrobial resistant bacteria across a wide range of infectious diseases and save lives. To learn more, visit taxispharma.com.
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References:
1. Feuerstadt P, Theriault N, Tillotson G. "The burden of CDI in the United States: a multifactorial challenge." BMC Infect Dis. 2023 Mar 7;23(1):132. Accessed 8 June 2026.
2. Sehgal K, Khanna S. "Gut microbiome and Clostridioides difficile infection: a closer look at the microscopic interface." Ther Adv Gastroenterol. 2021 Feb 23;14:1756284821994736. Accessed 8 June 2026.
Media Contact
Jennifer Ringler, TAXIS Pharmaceuticals, 1 973-647-5004, [email protected], https://taxispharma.com/
SOURCE TAXIS Pharmaceuticals
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