Philanthropic groups announce $60 million in grants for antibiotic discovery.

A coalition led by the Gates Foundation, Novo Nordisk Foundation and Wellcome is awarding $60 million through the Gram‑Negative Antibiotic Discovery Innovator (Gr‑ADI) to research teams in 17 countries to support discovery of new antibiotics for gram‑negative bacteria; more than 500 proposals were submitted.

Philanthropic groups announced $60 million in grants to support discovery of new antibiotics for difficult bacterial pathogens. The funding was awarded through the Gram‑Negative Antibiotic Discovery Innovator, known as Gr‑ADI. The Gates Foundation, Novo Nordisk Foundation and Wellcome said the grants will go to research teams in 17 countries, including Ghana, South Africa and Brazil. Gr‑ADI was launched in January 2025 to address a shortage of novel antibiotics against gram‑negative bacteria. Key facts: - The coalition announced a total of $60 million in grants distributed through the Gr‑ADI program. - Grants will support research teams in 17 countries, with named examples including Ghana, South Africa and Brazil. - Gr‑ADI was launched in January 2025 to focus on the discovery of antibiotics active against gram‑negative bacteria, which have a challenging outer membrane. - More than 500 proposals were submitted to Gr‑ADI, according to officials. - The first round emphasizes broad‑spectrum activity against Enterobacteriales, particularly Klebsiella, which appears on the World Health Organization's list of priority pathogens. Summary: The grants direct philanthropic funding to early discovery work on antibiotics targeting gram‑negative pathogens and bring multiple funders and research teams into a data‑sharing consortium. The initiative is positioned to accelerate collaborative research efforts. Undetermined at this time.