At Carbonix, we are developing a first-in-class platform of narrow-spectrum antibiotics that selectively eliminate Enterococcus species of bacteria. This group of gut bacteria are increasingly recognized as a driver of disease across infections, transplant complications, autoimmunity, and neurological conditions. Our compounds work through a mechanism uniquely essential to a small set of bacteria — and one that conventional antibiotics do not exploit. The result is a drug that hits the pathogen hard while leaving the protective microbiome intact, directly addressing the central paradox of broad-spectrum antibiotics, which often worsen the very conditions they aim to treat.
Built on an optimized version of an FDA-approved chemical scaffold, our lead compounds show nanomolar potency against all major Enterococcus species — including vancomycin-resistant strains — with selectivity over commensal gut bacteria and no meaningful resistance developing over repeated exposure. In preclinical proof-of-concept studies, oral dosing rescued animals from otherwise-lethal systemic infections while preserving gut microbiome diversity. With an advanced lead series now in hand, we are positioned to bring this differentiated approach across a pipeline of high-value clinical indications.
Selectivity is written into the biology. The target our drugs disable is essential to Enterococcus, yet dispensable to the commensal bacteria that protect us.