Acurx partners with Leiden University to study MRSA antibiotic target

Acurx Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ACXP) announced a scientific partnership with Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) in the Netherlands to advance research into DNA polymerase IIIC (PolC) inhibitor antibiotics, according to a company press release.

The partnership aims to generate what the company describes as the first-ever three-dimensional structure of PolC from methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in complex with DNA and an Acurx inhibitor. The goal is to support the discovery of new antibiotics targeting MRSA, a pathogen the CDC estimates causes approximately 323,700 hospital cases and 10,600 deaths annually in the United States.

The new agreement builds on prior work conducted under a November 2025 research grant from Health-Holland to LUMC and Acurx. That earlier research produced three-dimensional structures of three PolC complexes from Enterococcus, with findings published in Nature Communications in 2025.

Lead researcher Wiep Klaas Smits, Associate Professor at LUMC's Department of Medical Microbiology, said the new project will allow researchers "to investigate more subtle differences between PolC's from different Gram-positive organisms and will improve our understanding of how these different novel antibiotics interact with their target beyond their inhibitory group."

The partnership will also extend mechanistic research into PolC inhibition to support development of agents for systemic treatment of infections caused by Gram-positive pathogens resistant to existing antibiotics.

Acurx's lead drug candidate, ibezapolstat, targets Clostridioides difficile infection and is described as Phase 3 ready, pending financing. The company received FDA guidance from a July 13, 2026 Type C meeting indicating the agency is open to an NDA submission based on a single Phase 3 trial. Trial startup activities for the IBZ-PATHFINDER Phase 2 trial in recurrent CDI have begun, with patient enrollment expected within months.

Acurx's preclinical PolC inhibitor candidates targeting MRSA hold FDA Qualified Infectious Disease Product and Fast Track designations.

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