Acurx Announces Publication in ASM Confirming Data on its DNA pol IIIC Inhibitor Pipeline of Antibiotics Demonstrating a Potential Microbiome-Sparing Class Effect
Key Highlights
- ➤Three Pol IIIC inhibitors reduced MRSA burden in neutropenic mouse thigh models
- ➤Pol IIIC inhibitors preserved gut microbial diversity and anaerobic metabolic function versus linezolid
- ➤Structural modifications improved solubility and systemic exposure of novel Pol IIIC inhibitors
- ➤Acurx’s PATHFINDER trial targets approximately 20 patients with multiply-recurrent CDI
- ➤Ibezapolstat could support a single-Phase-3 NDA strategy if PATHFINDER succeeds
Expert Statements
Kevin Garey, PharmD, MS, FIDSA; Principal Investigator for microbiology and microbiome aspects of Acurx’s DNA pol IIIC program and Robert L. Boblitt Endowed Professor in Drug Discovery at the University of Houston College of Pharmacy
“Discovering highly selective antibacterial agents that specifically target systemic bacterial pathogens while avoiding the eradication of trillions of health-promoting bacteria in our gut microbiome remains a "Holy Grail" of antibiotic development. Work in our laboratory with Acurx's novel DNA pol IIIC inhibitors has advanced this work by demonstrating favorable gut microbiome-sparing effects of this novel class of antibiotics. It further emphasizes the value of incorporating microbiome profiling into the earliest phases of new antibiotic clinical research programs.”
Robert J. DeLuccia, Executive Chairman of Acurx
“Acurx is at the forefront of pioneering Antimicrobial Stewardship with antibiotics by discovering and developing innovative narrow-spectrum antibiotics which cause minimal gut dysbiosis. This Microbiome Stewardship dimension, which we believe should be fundamental to driving today's drug discovery and development process, is emerging as a new standard in the field of human anti-infective research”
Acurx Announces Publication in ASM Confirming Data on its DNA pol IIIC Inhibitor Pipeline of Antibiotics Demonstrating a Potential Microbiome-Sparing Class Effect PR Newswire
* Publication of first ever head-to-head comparison of gut microbiome changes associated with novel oral preclinical PolC (pol IIIC*) inhibitors to linezolid in a murine neutropenic thigh infection model * Structural molecular modification of molecules related to ibezapolstat (IBZ) improved solubility and systemic exposure of novel Pol IIIC inhibitors with all three tested Pol IIIC inhibitors reduced MRSA burden in a neutropenic mouse thigh model * Pol IIIC inhibitors in this study maintained high gut microbial diversity, as well as preserved microbiome metabolic function, in contrast to the marked disruption shown by linezolid * Pol IIIC inhibitor compounds specifically preserved anaerobic microbiome components and metabolism, whereas linezolid induced depletion and disruption of healthy anaerobic bacterial communities * Acurx's DNA pol IIIC inhibitor preclinical product candidates are FDA QIDP and Fast-Track eligible and target Gram-positive infections classified as Serious Threat priorities by CDC STATEN ISLAND, N.Y., Oct. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Acurx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ACXP) ("Acurx" or the "Company"), a late-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of antibiotics for serious and life-threatening bacterial infections, today announced publication in the ASM (American Society for Microbiology) Microbiology Spectrum journal of results of a study entitled: The effects of novel oral preclinical PolC inhibitor antibiotic candidates on the gut microbiome in a murine thigh infection model. These findings confirm in vivo antibacterial activity at tested doses while suggesting that further structural or dosing optimization may enhance tissue-level efficacy. Compared with oral linezolid, a commonly used oral therapy for gram-positive infections, orally dosed Pol IIIC inhibitors demonstrated a consistent class characterized by preservation of a Bacteroidota-dominant murine gut community and maintenance of anaerobic metabolic pathways. These experiments also highlight the importance of microbiome-informed antibiotic evaluation in preclinical studies.
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