What Microbiotix does

Microbiotix, Inc. is a privately held, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company founded in 1998 and headquartered in Worcester, Massachusetts, that discovers and develops proprietary small-molecule drugs targeting serious infectious diseases and multi-drug resistant pathogens. The company's pipeline spans six distinct programs: MBX-400 (filociclovir), a nucleoside analog acting as a dual DNA polymerase/UL97 kinase inhibitor for human cytomegalovirus (CMV) in immunosuppressed transplant recipients and a separate ophthalmic application in adenoviral conjunctivitis; spectinamides, narrow-spectrum semisynthetic spectinomycin analogs for MDR/XDR tuberculosis; aminospectinomycins, broad-spectrum spectinomycin derivatives active against drug-resistant Gram-positive and Gram-negative species including N. gonorrhoeae and biodefense pathogens; type III secretion system (T3SS) inhibitors targeting P. aeruginosa virulence factors for ventilator-associated pneumonia; trans-translation inhibitors exploiting a pathway conserved across >99.9% of bacterial genomes and absent in humans; and RND efflux pump inhibitors (pyranopyridines) intended as combination therapy for carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae. MBX-400 has completed Phase 1 clinical testing and is reported to be more than five times more potent than the current Valcyte gold standard.

The company is pre-revenue and does not sell commercial products; its economics are driven almost entirely by non-dilutive grant funding and milestone-based research awards rather than product sales. Primary funders include NIAID (over $12 million awarded in 2022 with potential total of approximately $61.5 million over five years for antiviral development targeting pandemic viruses), CARB-X (up to $48 million committed, including a $3.2 million initial award in 2017 and a follow-on 2020 award for an MDR-gonorrhea oral antibiotic), the U.S. Department of Defense for biodefense-relevant programs, and the UK-based AMR Centre, with which Microbiotix maintains a co-development relationship on its anti-virulence P. aeruginosa candidate. Microbiotix has been ranked the top NIH award recipient among Massachusetts biotech/pharma companies in 2020, 2017, 2016, 2015, and 2013, and second in 2019, 2018, and 2014.

The company serves a defined patient population: immunocompromised transplant recipients at risk of CMV (over 33,000 solid organ transplants annually in the U.S. and 126,670 worldwide), patients infected with CDC/WHO urgent-threat pathogens including CRE, drug-resistant N. gonorrhoeae, and MDR/XDR tuberculosis, and patients with adenoviral conjunctivitis for which no approved antiviral currently exists. Its commercial go-to-market is undefined because no product is approved; future commercialization would proceed through traditional pharmaceutical distribution channels following FDA approval. The company employs 11-50 people, is led by President & CEO Terry L. Bowlin, PhD (30+ years of anti-infective experience at BioChem Pharma and Marion Merrell Dow), Chief Business Officer Richard Gauthier, and Chief Scientific Officer Zachary D. Aron, and operates from a single U.S. site with R&D and clinical activities distributed through grant-funded partnerships.

Name

Microbiotix

Legal name

Microbiotix, Inc.

Website

https://microbiotix.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Microbiotix is a privately held, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing proprietary small-molecule drugs for serious infectious diseases and multi-drug resistant pathogens, including CMV in transplant recipients, MDR/XDR tuberculosis, drug-resistant gonorrhea, carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, and biodefense pathogens.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Infectious Disease Therapeutics

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834)

akta.pro primary industry

Infectious Disease & Antimicrobials Pharmaceuticals (HLAIAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Infectious Disease Specialty Pharmaceuticals (Non-vaccine) (HLAIACAM)

Keywords

• Antiviral drug development
• Antibiotic drug discovery
• Multi-drug resistant pathogens
• Clinical-stage biopharmaceuticals
• Small molecule therapeutics

Headquarters

HQ city

Worcester

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Microbiotix discovers and develops proprietary small molecule therapeutics for serious infectious diseases, with a pipeline that includes MBX-400 (filociclovir) for human cytomegalovirus, antibacterial programs (Spectinamides, Aminospectinomycins) for drug-resistant tuberculosis and gonorrhea, T3SS inhibitors for Pseudomonas aeruginosa, trans-translation inhibitors with broad-spectrum activity, and RND efflux pump inhibitors for Enterobacteriaceae. The company is pre-revenue and supports development primarily through grant funding from NIAID/NIH, CARB-X, and the U.S. Department of Defense.

Product overview

Microbiotix is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing a portfolio of proprietary small molecule drugs targeting serious infectious diseases and multi-drug resistant pathogens. The company's pipeline includes MBX-400 (filociclovir) for CMV infections in transplant recipients and adenoviral conjunctivitis, multiple MDR antibacterial programs including spectinamides and aminospectinomycins for tuberculosis and STDs, T3SS inhibitors for Pseudomonas aeruginosa, trans-translation inhibitors with broad-spectrum activity, and efflux pump inhibitors for Enterobacteriaceae. The company operates through strong partnerships with CARB-X, AMR Centre, NIAID, and DoD.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MBX-400 (filociclovir): Lead therapeutic compound, a potent and novel nucleoside analog dual DNA polymerase/kinase inhibitor for the treatment of human cytomegalovirus (CMV). Previously known as cyclopropavir.
• Spectinamides
• Aminospectinomycins

Products and services

• MBX-400 (filociclovir) Proprietary nucleoside analog that uniquely inhibits both CMV DNA polymerase and UL97 kinase, developed for treatment of human cytomegalovirus infection in immunocompromised solid organ and bone marrow transplant recipients. Reported to be >5x more potent than Valcyte, active against resistant isolates, and non-genotoxic. Has completed Phase 1 clinical testing.
• MBX-400 for Adenoviral Conjunctivitis Antiviral application of the MBX-400 platform targeting adenoviral conjunctivitis, including epidemic keratoconjunctivitis, where no approved antiviral therapy currently exists. Demonstrates broad-spectrum efficacy against multiple adenoviral serotypes and is in preclinical development.
• Spectinamides Novel semisynthetic spectinomycin analogs that inhibit bacterial protein synthesis by binding to a unique site on the 30S ribosome, developed for narrow-spectrum treatment of multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) tuberculosis. Demonstrated efficacy in multiple in vivo TB infection models.
• Aminospectinomycins Novel spectinomycin derivatives with improved potency against Gram-negative and Gram-positive species, including drug-resistant clinical pathogens such as Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis, plus biodefense pathogens. Resistance mutants arise at very low frequency (~10^-11) and no cross-resistance is observed against existing protein synthesis inhibitors.
• Type III Secretion System (T3SS) Inhibitors Novel anti-virulence small molecules targeting PscF in the Type III Secretion System of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Reverses pathogen disruption of host innate immune response and is not subject to efflux or existing antibiotic resistance mechanisms. Being developed for prevention and treatment of ventilator-associated pneumonia in critically ill patients.
• Trans-translation Inhibitors Broad-spectrum Gram-positive and Gram-negative antibacterial candidates that target the trans-translation pathway, a mechanism conserved across >99.9% of sequenced bacterial genomes and absent in metazoans. Demonstrated in vitro and in vivo activity against MRSA, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and Francisella tularensis.
• Efflux Pump Inhibitors (Pyranopyridines) Novel pyranopyridine RND-type efflux pump inhibitors designed to be used in combination with FDA-approved antibiotics to increase antibacterial potency and decrease resistance mutations in Gram-negative pathogens, including carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE).

Quantifiable outcome

• MBX-400 demonstrated >5x more potent than current gold standard therapy (Valcyte) for CMV treatment
• +5 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• AMR CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe AMR Centre is a key part of the UK's response to the global threat from antimicrobial resistance. Based at Alderley Park, the AMR Centre is a joint private-public initiative supporting the development of new antibiotics and diagnostics through a fully integrated development capability from pre-clinical hits through clinical proof of concept. Microbiotix and the AMR Centre combined resources and antimicrobial R&D expertise to accelerate development of Microbiotix's lead bacterial anti-virulence candidate targeting drug-resistant P. aeruginosa in critically ill pneumonia patients.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Cidara Therapeutics: Clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing anti-infectives, including antivirals and antifungal agents. Comparable as a small-cap private/clinical anti-infective developer pursuing novel mechanisms against serious infections, with similar funding-stage profile.
• Paratek Pharmaceuticals: Specialty anti-infective developer focused on tetracycline-class antibiotics for serious community-acquired infections. Comparable as a small-cap clinical-stage antibiotic developer targeting multi-drug resistant pathogens, with overlapping federal funding and NIH grant relationships.
• Nabriva Therapeutics: Clinical-stage biopharma developing antibiotics for serious and life-threatening infections, including MDR pathogens. Directly comparable as a small anti-infective company with a clinical-stage pipeline targeting resistant bacterial infections.
• Iterum Therapeutics: Clinical-stage pharmaceutical company developing anti-infectives against multi-drug resistant pathogens, including oral antibiotics for complicated UTIs. Comparable in therapeutic area (MDR infections), stage, and small-cap funding model.
• Entasis Therapeutics: Clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing differentiated antibiotics for drug-resistant Gram-negative infections. Directly comparable as a focused anti-infective developer with a similar target pathogen profile (CRE, MDR Pseudomonas).
• VenatoRx Pharmaceuticals: Private clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel antibiotics to treat MDR Gram-negative infections. Comparable in therapeutic focus (MDR bacterial infections), company stage, and BARDA-funded development model.
• Tetraphase Biosciences: Clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that developed eravacycline, a fluorocycline antibiotic for MDR infections (now part of Innoviva). Comparable as a historical peer in clinical-stage antibiotic development targeting serious multi-drug resistant infections.
• Melinta Therapeutics: Commercial-stage anti-infective company that developed antibiotics for MDR bacterial infections before restructuring. Comparable as a historical peer in the antibiotic development space targeting MDR pathogens, illustrating both the opportunity and the structural commercial challenges.
• Summit Therapeutics: Clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing ridinilazole for C. difficile infection and other anti-infective candidates. Comparable as a clinical-stage anti-infective developer focused on novel mechanisms against serious bacterial infections.
• Achaogen: Former commercial-stage antibiotic developer (plazomicin for CRE) that filed for bankruptcy post-approval. Comparable as a historical direct peer that pursued a similar MDR Gram-negative pathogen strategy and illustrates the commercial risks facing Microbiotix's pipeline.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/microbiotix-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Microbiotix